Before COVID, all waste at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) was treated as medical waste. None of it could be recycled.
In 2023, the hospital partnered with the Binners’ Project to improve waste management. The binners safely sorted waste on-site and found many recyclable and compostable items that had been thrown into regular trash bins.
Their partnership made a big difference. The hospital’s recycling rate doubled within a year, and it also created new job opportunities for people in the Downtown Eastside. At first, two people worked four days a week. Now, four people are employed full-time and work every day of the week.
Working with binners at St. Paul’s Hospital
Providence’s partnership with the Binners’ Project exemplifies the organization’s mission of providing compassionate care. Its mission extends to its purchasing decisions and business activities, which have now been recognized with Buy Social Canada’s 2025 Social Procurement Champion Award. Only three groups in Canada won this award, and Providence was the only one in BC.
The team of Erick Nguyen, Kathy Kohli, Brieta Zambrano and Benson Low was recognized for helping the community and promoting fair buying practices in public services. As part of the teams’ ongoing efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling, they hired local groups that give jobs to people who face barriers to finding work. These groups are part of Buy Social and Exchange Inner City networks.
Jobs for people facing barriers
“Through its partnership with the Binners’ Project, Providence has created meaningful, low-barrier employment opportunities for individuals in the Downtown Eastside who face systemic barriers to traditional work,” says Director of the Binners’ Project, Sean Miles, who nominated Providence for the award.
In 2024 alone, Providence provided 4,069.5 hours of income opportunities through 1,118 shifts at St. Paul’s Hospital and Mount Saint Joseph Hospital – representing 33% of all income opportunities generated through the Binners’ Project. This makes Providence the largest single contributor to the program’s yearly success.
“I’m proud to say that we were the first large acute care hospital in BC that has their waste taken to recycling stations, and that’s in large part due to the work done by the binners,” says Benson Low, PHC director of Environmental Services.
“We saw it as our responsibility to create jobs within this area. The more hyper-local the better. We should be supporting community and that was the main driver in how we came to work with the binners.”
Recycling masks and gowns into benches
The Waste Team saw this success and decided to do more. They started recycling personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks, gowns, gloves, and IV bags. To do this, they partnered with VitaCore, a local company that recycles plastic from masks and IV bags. VitaCore also sells the recycled plastic.
Providence and VitaCore are the first in Western Canada to run a program like this. Providence is also the only health organization in the region that has adapted IV bag recycling. The technology that makes this possible was developed by VitaCore.
The Waste Team asked VitaCore to make benches and planters from the recycled materials. These products will go to long-term care homes. Instead of using wood, they chose plastic because it doesn’t splinter and lasts up to 20 years.
Sharing the model with others
The Waste Team is one of the biggest buyers of services from groups in the Downtown Eastside. This helps keep garbage out of landfills and creates jobs for people who need them. Aside from the Binners’ Project, the team has also partnered with several other local groups, including:
- Clean Start: rubbish removal, diversion, and recovery
- Mission Possible: cleans windows and outdoor areas
- Recycling Alternative and TerraForma Systems: recycling services provider, consultants, and waste handling equipment supplier
- Have Café: trains people to work as cooks
- Embers: helps people find and keep jobs
Now, the team is teaching other health groups how to do the same thing. The YWCA and some health authorities are starting to use this model. The Waste Team plans to keep working with them to support people and reduce waste at the new St. Paul’s Hospital.
“The binners are part of the fabric of our organization now. I can’t see a time when we don’t have them,” says Low.
New St. Paul’s Hospital leading the way
The Buy Social Canada award also recognizes Providence’s commitment to social procurement on the new St. Paul’s Hospital construction site. This is the first project in Vancouver to trigger the City’s Community Benefit Agreements Policy which aims to promote growth for the communities where projects are built. In 2024, the project exceeded targets for hiring from equity-seeking groups, as well as partnering with local suppliers.
“These award winners lead by example and model what responsible business can look like in Canada,” says Elizabeth Chick-Blount, CEO of Buy Social Canada. “They show us that procurement isn’t just a transaction, it’s a powerful tool for building more resilient and inclusive communities.”
Watch a recording of the award ceremony here.
Story by Justine Ma and Marcelo Dominguez, Providence Health Care
