- Bottles of water distributed during blood drives are now banned in the six donation houses in Brittany.
- However, donors have the duty to keep themselves well hydrated thanks to the fountains that have been installed and in glass containers.
- Each year, 300,000 plastic bottles are distributed to donors in the region.
Faced with an ecological emergency, single-use plastic objects are gradually disappearing from our daily lives. Since January 1, the Breton branch of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) has decided to take the plunge by eliminating the plastic water bottles intended for donors in all the donation houses in the region. But there is no question of depriving donors of the precious drink. "Donors are always recommended to drink water before and after the donation to keep them hydrated and to avoid discomfort," specifies Dominique Dubois, head of blood samples in Ille-et-Vilaine.
At the donation house in Rennes, as in those in Brest, Lorient, Quimper, Saint-Brieuc and Vannes, where 300,000 bottles of water are distributed each year, donors have now been invited to use water for a few days in a fountain and use glass containers made available to them.
Logistics to find for mobile sites
"The Breton branch of the EFS is a pilot in this process, in particular thanks to the remarks made by the donors who found it absurd that water bottles or plastic cutlery were still being distributed," underlines Dominique Dubois. In the middle of a snack after giving their blood, Béatrice and Johanna welcome the initiative. "It's a very good thing and it's even more practical than plastic water bottles," they agree.
Set up on fixed sites, the measure should be gradually deployed at mobile collection sites in the region during 2020, before being generalized to all regional branches of the EFS. "There will be a logistical and technical organization to be found in each region because what counts above all is transfusion safety", assures Dominique Dubois.
Not lacking in ideas, the Breton antenna of the EFS is also thinking of eliminating the plastic packaging of snacks distributed to donors after their civic action.
Planet
The bans on single-use plastics on January 1, 2020, detailed in the "Official Journal"
Society
The main measures of the anti-waste bill adopted by the deputies
- Rennes
- Plastic
- Waste
- Planet
- Blood donation
- Waste