In an Australian-first, clean and filtered water from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's kidney dialysis machines is now being used by the City of Sydney to help keep streets clean.
Around 50 dialysis machines, used for up to 14 hours a day, require ultrapure water. About 500 litres of ultrapure water is needed each time a patient undergoes dialysis.
A reverse osmosis unit generates ultrapure water so that no bacteria is present during treatment. During purification, excess runoff is collected and stored in two on-site tanks, designed and built during the redevelopment of the Professor Marie Bashir Centre in 2020.
By using this stored runoff in street cleaning, the City of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred hospital can save up to 1.5 million litres of water every year.
"Water is our most precious resource and finding ways to better manage it is crucial to Sydney's resilience. This is increasingly important as the climate crisis lengthens periods of drought," Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
"Not only does this collaboration mean there is more drinking water available, the filtered supply is great for street cleaning because it has low levels of particles, calcium and magnesium - that means it's less likely to leave residue and streaking, is less abrasive on road and footpath surfaces, and reduces equipment scaling.
"By collecting the water from Royal Prince Alfred, we are also reducing emissions and travel time for our trucks, which don't have to return to depots in Alexandria or Ultimo to refill after cleaning the streets."
The surplus capacity of water from dialysis is captured in two large 10,000 litre tanks onsite. The City of Sydney fills its trucks with the water, saving an estimated 30,000 litres every week.
Chief Executive of Sydney Local Health District, Deb Willcox AM said the project was an important element in helping meet its environmental goals.
"Sydney Local Health District has invested in the infrastructure to build these tanks as part of our ongoing sustainability program," Ms Willcox said.
"We are very happy to partner with the City of Sydney to ensure the water is put to good use and do our part for the environment."
The collaboration allows the City of Sydney to tap into an alternative water source, with both organisations able to improve their water sustainability and reduce environmental impact.
