University of Hyderabad joins groundbreaking international collaboration to tackle single-use plastics in healthcare

The University of Hyderabad’s Anthropology Department will join the Wellcome Trust-funded £5.9m global project “After the Single Use,” receiving £422,608 to study the cultural, social and environmental impact of medical plastics and promote circular healthcare solutions over five years

Hyderabad: The Department of Anthropology at the University of Hyderabad has announced its participation in a pioneering international project aimed at addressing the environmental and health impacts of single-use plastics in healthcare.

The “After the Single Use” project, funded by the Wellcome Trust with a £5.9 million Discovery Award, brings together a global team of researchers from eight countries to explore the cultural, social, and environmental dimensions of medical plastics and promote circular healthcare economies.

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Led by Dr Nanda Kishore Kannuri, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, the University of Hyderabad will receive a grant of £422,608 over a five-year period to contribute to this initiative.

The project will examine the historical, local, and global factors that have shaped the current healthcare waste crisis, analyse the life cycles of disposable medical technologies, and collaborate with policymakers, activists, engineers, and designers to develop sustainable solutions.

“After the Single Use” aims to establish a new field of critical humanities, art, and social science research on medical plastics and circular healthcare economies. The project runs with collaborative hubs in Edinburgh and partner institutions worldwide.