From intensive care to wider hospital use: the IC-Filter at Noordwest

Reducing pharmaceutical residues in wastewater starts where they enter the water cycle. At Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep in Alkmaar, this meant starting in the Intensive Care Unit.

Intensive Care patients often receive substantial amounts of medication, including antibiotics. Many have urinary catheters, with collection bags emptied several times a day.

“Without treatment at the source, pharmaceutical residues in this urine enter the hospital’s wastewater, where it is hard to remove further downstream.”

In December 2024, Noordwest became the first hospital to introduce Zereau’s MediCatch Filter System at the Intensive Care Unit. Staff empty catheter bags into the compact MediCatch filtration system, located in the ward’s dirty utility room, typically alongside bedpan washers or macerators. MediCatch captures pharmaceutical residues before they reach the sewer.

Liquid residual medication is also collected through the filter, avoiding the need to dispose of this liquid stream as specialist healthcare waste. This reduces disposal costs and the associated CO₂ emissions from incineration. Empty packaging, including glass and high-quality plastics, can then potentially be offered for recycling, subject to applicable waste-handling requirements.