The Heanor factory of Berry bpi recycled products has made the first delivery of clinical waste sacks to the new NHS Nightingale Hospital in London.

Built over 10 days with the assistance of the UK Armed Forces, the temporary hospital, housed in the Excel Exhibition Centre, has the capacity to treat up to 4,000 patients affected by Covid-19.

The Berry bpi Heanor facility received a call from the NHS to urgently despatch 150,000 clinical waste bags directly to the hospital. Production was rescheduled and the following morning a delivery was arranged with the company’s logistics partner XPO, who has been working tirelessly with the bpi recycled team to ensure that critical supplies are reaching customers.

“We have been working closely with the NHS at the highest level to ensure that we meet the increased demand for clinical waste bags,” commented Berry bpi sales director Lorcan Mekitarian. “However, given the speed of development of the Nightingale Hospital, we were asked to deliver these sacks in less than 24 hours. I am deeply proud of the efforts from everyone at bpi and XPO who have helped us in meeting this challenge in very difficult circumstances.”

The Heanor factory is a major supplier to the NHS and in recent weeks has turned over a large of part of its capacity to meet the increased demand from hospitals across the country for clinical waste sacks, which are vital in the fight against infection and in keeping hospitals functioning.