Waste Tools & Resources
Waste Matters
Maintaining good waste data can be the most effective tool for managing the organization’s waste reduction program. Specifically, accurate analysis of the data is fundamental to monitoring waste generation and recycling trends and to understanding the associated costs and savings. In addition, accurate analysis of waste and recycling data can be used to effectively communicate program activities, including trends, goals, and the results of implementing new programs, with staff, the public, and the organization’s management team. Data collection can help the facility make informed decisions regarding its waste reduction program.
Staff and Public Outreach and Education
Waste and recycling data should be used to communicate the successes of your facility’s waste reduction program with staff and the public. Waste and recycling statistics should be regularly shared with hospital staff in newsletters or on bulletin boards to share successes of your facility’s waste reduction program and to encourage continued participation in this program. See samples. Such statistics can also be used to prompt additional education and training, if necessary. Statistics providing an overview of your facility’s recycling efforts can also be displayed on posters in public areas of the facility, such as waiting rooms and the cafeteria, to inform patients and visitors of your facility’s commitment to the environment.
Communication with Management Team
Waste and recycling data should be regularly shared at management meetings to identify issues and strategically target outreach and education. Having this data enables management to investigate causes of negative waste trends, such as increases in waste generation per adjusted patient day, with the support of quantitative data and associated costs.
Tools & Resources
The Greenhealth Tracker is a web-based environmental data tracking tool designed to assist with material data collection, tracking and reporting. The tool allows users to record and analyze its custom waste data volumes and costs, and analyze opportunities to reduce both. It helps facilities understand how hundreds of thousands of waste disposal dollars are being spent and org anizes information by each type of waste. This information will allow organizations to see how to prioritize goals for waste minimization and justify addressing the specific contracts that contribute to particular waste streams. Learn more about Greenhealth Tracker.
The Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC.org) is a self certifying toolkit that steers facilities through greener design, construction and operations. The operations section has sections on waste management, environmentally preferable purchasing, food services and chemical management, to name a few. Each of these areas address some piece of waste prevention and management from gathering baseline data to RMW treatment and management, HIPAA compliance and more.
Afree, voluntary EPA program through which organizations minimize solid waste and select industrial wastes, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. WasteWise members can join as partners, endorsers, or both. WasteWise helps its partners meet goals to reduce and recycle municipal solid waste and selected industrial wastes
EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM)
EPA created the Waste Reduction Model (WARM) to help solid waste planners and organizations track and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste management practices.
Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals
The American Hospital Association has developed some basic tools and resources related to healthcare sustainability.The Roadmap’s Green Lights Projects List highlights performance improvement measures related to waste reduction and sustainability.
Provides assistance to industry sectors and organizations for development and implementation of standards, tools and practices that lead to a more sustainable future through the reduction and elimination of waste and toxics
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life (or your hospital!) forever.
