Ending hospital waste and supplying those in need

Operating since 2012, Save Our Supplies partners with hospitals to help reduce their carbon footprint by taking a circular economy-approach to their ‘waste’ by collecting unused and clean medical supplies and redistributing them to vulnerable communities across Australia and abroad. Claire’s passion for sustainability, coupled with her expertise in healthcare, has led SOS to save over 1 million dollars of clean medical waste every year and support those who lack access to essential medical care. This weeks Pro Bono change maker is Claire Lane, CEO and Founder of Save Our Supplies.

Describe your career trajectory and how you got to your current position.

I had always wanted to be a nurse – it really was all I ever wanted to be. I started my career as an enrolled nurse in 2008, and I was also studying, doing a degree. My plan was that I would continue nursing as I finished the degree, and then that I would go and work in developing nations. But in the time it took me to finish my degree, I became a mother, which changed my aspirations and my life.

I was working as a theatre nurse by then, assisting in all sorts of surgeries, and I started to become really frustrated with the amount of clean medical supplies being thrown into landfill. One day we threw away 3 complete hip packs – they contain all the basics you need for a surgery – drapes, gowns, syringes, scalpels, bandages and more. One of the surgeries had been cancelled, and there were other reasons for disposing of the other two packs – we have really strict guidelines around sterility and so on in Australia. We have excellent standards. But seeing them thrown away, these perfectly usable supplies, led to me asking my supervisors and managers what we were doing with these supplies. I was told really bluntly that the supplies just went in the bin and to get back to work. There was just no way anyone was going to discuss the issue with me, and it made me furious.

I remember that I went home that day and tried to find organisations that were collecting those sorts of supplies, and I very quickly realised that no one was actively trying to address the issue. That is how Save Our Supplies was born.

I started collecting the supplies from the hospital I worked at, and I found a way to get them to developing nations by partnering with the Rotary’s Donations In Kind division. Thank goodness for Rotary! I wasn’t able to do much for the next few years. I had another child and was still finishing my degree. But once my youngest went to school in 2016, I started focusing a lot of time and attention on SOS.

A couple of big public hospitals started donating their stock to me, I shared that on social media, and the rest started following suit. Over the next few years the charity started to grow, but I was lacking funding and space. I worked out of my home for several years, and a few of my nursing colleagues would come over and help me sort the supplies. I was eventually invited to present to an organisation called 10 x 10. They had three grass roots charities come and pitch to possible investors. A couple of days after I pitched, I received a call from a private philanthropist saying they wanted to invest in SOS. Since then I’ve been able to move full time into the position of CEO, rent a warehouse and employ a small team of paid staff.

What does this role mean to you? 

Even though it isn’t what I thought I would be doing, this role means the world to me. All those years ago I had this vision of getting SOS collection points into every hospital so we could collect all the unused medical equipment, and even though we aren’t there yet I can see it coming to fruition. I have also seen firsthand how our supplies are helping those in need, which makes my job so satisfying.

Take us through a typical day of work for you. 

One of the great things about my job is that every day is different. There’s always emails and administrative stuff to do, and medical supplies to be sorted and stored, but otherwise it could be a whole range of different things. Recently we’ve been travelling around Samoa and Fiji, building our relationships with local organisations who can help us get our supplies to the people who most need them. We also have partners, and organisations we’d love to partner with, to talk to and discuss how we can work together. Rotary has been amazing. We’re also really keen to keep working with the Queensland Government, so that we can work with more hospitals and collect more unused medical supplies. We also have a really active and dedicated Board, and I chair Board Meetings regularly, because everyone believes in what SOS is doing and wants to do what they can to help us. It’s safe to say that whatever the day looks like, it’s a full one!

What is the biggest challenge you’ve encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it? 

The biggest challenge getting started was funding and accessing health facilities like hospitals. I was determined to get SOS off the ground, I believed in it so much, and was just focused on progressing the idea. Before I started getting significant funding through grants, philanthropic foundations and most recently the Westpac Fellowship, I almost sent myself broke. I was paying for things out of my own pocket. I worked hard to secure sufficient Philanthropic funding to employ a small team of dedicated professionals to really grow the operation.

We are working towards achieving financial sustainability by implementing a cost recovery model from the recipients of our supplies and the philanthropic foundations that support us will help fund our cashflow as we head towards financial stability. We also secured a contract with the Queensland government, where we get a small fee to take away clean supplies from certain hospitals. This has been a help financially but more importantly it has helped to build our base of partner hospitals.

The environmental impact of this stuff going to landfill is huge – it doesn’t make any sense, especially when there are places in the world quite literally dying for lack of clean medical supplies. Saving supplies from landfill is not just helping to save the environment – it’s saving lives.

If you could go back in time, what piece of advice would you give yourself as you first embarked on your career?

I would be more open to the possibility of having a career outside nursing, and would tell myself that I can make a living doing something that helps other people and the environment. I would also tell past me to keep going, that one day the dream will start becoming a reality.

How do you stay motivated to work in this field? 

That is an issue, everyone gets tired, but being able to travel to the communities we help and seeing the difference our work is making to the lives of real people is endlessly motivating.

How do you unwind after work? 

I’m a single mum, so after work it’s all about the kids. We play games, sometimes we do cool experiments or watch one of their shows; lately we’ve been doing a lot of singing and dancing, which is a great way to unwind.

What was the last thing you: Watched, Read, & Listened to? 

I watch a lot of stuff with my kids, but when I get a minute to myself I’m rewatching an old favourite – Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There’s nothing like tough women kicking vampire butt to inspire you when you get worn out. I don’t have a lot of time to read, but I think the last one I read was the Britney Spears book. I’ve been listening to the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack a lot, it’s an old favourite.