Waste
Healthcare facilities produce numerous types of waste, including medical, pharmaceutical, hazardous, solid, and food waste. Understanding, identifying, and reducing these waste streams is crucial for improving your organization’s sustainability efforts, maintaining public health and safety, and leading to operational cost savings.
Strategies and Practices
- Conduct a facility waste assessment to identify waste streams and reduction opportunities.
- Zero Waste Policies: Implement zero waste policies to reduce waste, recycle, and reuse materials.
- Recycling Programs: Enhance recycling efforts for paper, plastics, metals, and hard-to-recycle plastics (blue wrap, single-use items, and PPE).
- Medical device reprocessing.
- OR Packs & Preference Cards: Customize OR packs and surgeon preference cards to only utilize necessary materials.
- Procurement & Supply Chain Policies: Establish guidelines for procurement of sustainably sourced items.
- Medical Waste: Properly manage and dispose of medical waste (red bag, pharmaceuticals, hazardous materials, and sharps).
- Cleaning & Chemical Supplies: Opt for eco-friendly, third-party certified products, minimize chemical use, and ensure proper disposal.
