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Rethinking Plastics in Healthcare

After the Single Use is a global research collaboration rethinking healthcare’s reliance on disposable medical technologies. Bringing together anthropologists, historians, artists, and public health researchers across eight countries, the project explores the social, environmental, and historical dimensions of single-use plastics in healthcare. Through interdisciplinary research and creative engagement, it aims to imagine and build more circular, sustainable healthcare futures.

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Research Themes

Contingencies

How and why have disposable plastics been valued in global healthcare and what examples exist of alternative paths not taken?

Circulations

How are disposable medical technologies produced, transported, consumed, and discarded, and what relations and inequities are generated across their lifecycles?

Collaborations

How are researchers, policymakers, activists, engineers, and designers working together to build sustainable healthcare solutions?

Our News

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A conference exhibition space is shown with two people engaging in conversation and tables and displays showing the After the Single Use project.

09 Jun 2026

Exploring the future of medical devices at Med-Tech Insights Expo 2026

After the Single Use researchers Alice Street and Millie Marriott Webb joined Med-Tech Insights Expo 2026, using the Deconstructing Devices project and an Innovation Stage presentation to open up conversations around medical device lifecycles, sustainability, and material transparency.

A large wall of waste is being moved around by an orange forklift truck digger.

21 May 2026

Researchers gather for the Plastics Research Forum at the University of Edinburgh

Researchers from across the University of Edinburgh will come together this month for the first Plastics Research Forum, an interdisciplinary event designed to connect scholars working on plastics across a wide range of fields.

A researcher lays out the different white and blue materials found in a gown and mask on a grey floor.

12 May 2026

After the Single Use partners with NOBA on international artist residencies

After the Single Use is collaborating with NOBA, Norway’s first permanent BioArt platform, to develop a series of international artist residencies exploring healthcare plastics, waste, and circular healthcare systems.

Bruno Strasser reads his book The Mask while wearing a mask.

09 Dec 2025

Bruno J. Strasser’s The Mask shortlisted for Nature's best science writing 2025

The Mask: A History of Breathing Bad Air, co-authored by After the Single Use researcher Bruno J. Strasser, has been shortlisted for a leading science writing award. The book has been praised for its richly illustrated, global history of respiratory masks and its timely reflections on how societies navigate risk, protection and public health.

Our Outputs

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Making Medical Materials Visible at Med-Tech Expo 2026

Presentations

After the Single Use researchers Alice Street and Millie Marriott Webb participated in Med-Tech Insights Expo 2026, presenting research on single-use medical devices and showcasing Deconstructing Devices, a project that reveals the material complexity of everyday healthcare technologies.

Researchers and representatives stand outside the School of Public Health and Social Sciences in Muhimbli. The building has a marigold plaster exterior with decorative metal work on the windows.

Building Research Partnerships in Tanzania: Early Engagements for After the Single Use

Blog posts

The Tanzania research team recently conducted a series of stakeholder visits in Dar es Salaam, establishing collaborations with academic and environmental partners and exploring the challenges and opportunities surrounding single-use medical plastics in healthcare.

A pair of hands hold plastic parts of an IV catheter against a green background with subtitles from the video.

Deconstructing Devices: unpacking the hidden material complexity of an IV catheter