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Health care is joining organizations across the country in the goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030.
Food can be wasted but is never “waste.” As a valuable resource, it does not belong in a landfill. Landfilling food contributes to climate change and is a missed opportunity for addressing food insecurity. Our guidance, which aligns with the EPA food recovery hierarchy and evolving state and federal regulations, leads you through each strategy from source reduction to food donation to recycling and will help you make a plan for achieving your waste reduction goals.
Assemble the… Read More
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Practice Greenhealth member NYU Langone implements a comprehensive waste management and recycling program
Waste is a common challenge for health care organizations, no matter their size.
Waste is complex and expensive to manage. Hospitals that look upstream by studying incoming material and then reduce both inputs and outputs together see greater reductions in total waste costs which is exactly what the Material and Waste Stream Assessment assists hospitals in performing.
This engagement will consist of three distinct deliverables:
Material and waste assessment with environmental… Read More
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Recycling is one of the first ways our member hospitals look to implement or improve waste reduction. Many hospitals with active recycling programs have used Practice Greenhealth tools to recycle as much as 30 percent of their total waste across two main categories.
Solid waste recyclables
Confidential paper, mixed office paper, mixed plastics, corrugated boxes, glass and steel cans
Costs for this waste stream are often offset or completely covered by rebates and the sale of recycled materials.
Paper and corrugated cardboard recycling alone can reduce waste by 10 percent or more.… Read More
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“By working collaboratively, it is possible to drive innovative solutions to reduce the environmental footprint of health care, while also reducing costs for both suppliers and purchasers.”
– Elizabeth Eldridge, Kaiser Permanente director of sustainable sourcing
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Hospitals and health care facilities generate a staggering amount of plastic waste each year resulting in equally large disposal costs and environmental impacts.
Kaiser Permanente’s environmental services and waste management teams discovered a waste and plastic reduction solution for disinfectant… Read More
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Composting landscape and food waste is a viable waste reduction strategy for many hospital and health systems. Long-term benefits of compost programs for hospitals might include:
Reduces incineration or landfill disposal costs for dense and heavy landscape and food scraps
Avoids costly extra water discharges from wastewater treatment due to food waste sludge created by industrial food disposal systems.
Saves landscaping budget by increasing water retention, aeration, and soil nutrients, which reduces mulch, fertilizers, and pesticide purchases.
Unneeded compost can potentially be sold or… Read More
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Anesthetic gas is an operating room requirement that has big impacts on the outside world. Waste anesthetic gases – unused gas exhaled by the patient – are considered Scope 1 greenhouse gases and may make up 5 percent or more of a hospital’s entire carbon footprint.
With the leadership and engagement of an anesthesia clinical champion, it is possible to reduce the impacts of anesthetic gas in the operating room.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists offers guidance on environmental sustainability, including anesthetic choice and management, and the reduction, capture, and reuse of… Read More
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Reducing surplus food is at the top of the EPA food recovery hierarchy because it has the greatest financial, environmental, and social impacts.
Use our guidance to determine which source reduction strategies will work best for your facility and how to integrate them into your standard operating policies and procedures. Track your impact, and share results with leadership.
Assemble the team
In addition to your core team, you may want to include people with roles such as the executive chef, nutrition and dietetics, inventory manager, prep, line cooks, catering, and front of house servers… Read More
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“Not only does this project impact greenhouse gasses from keeping food waste out of the landfill, it is also about dollars saved, which is important to hospital administrators, and then there is the food rescue piece which is what is really important to our community.”
– Jack Breezee, Sutter Health regional director of food and nutrition services
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sutter Health knew they were wasting food but didn’t know how much. They wanted to find a way to reduce food waste – and knew they could help their community at the same time.
Sutter Health partnered with our… Read More
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The surgical suite is one of the areas of greatest waste, energy, and supply impact within a hospital. Working to collect accurate operating room data is a strategic priority that can support reducing this department’s footprint. Greening the OR data touches supply chain, energy, waste, and anesthetics – to name a few.
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The most prestigious honor for those committed to health care sustainability, Practice Greenhealth's Environmental Excellence Awards recognize health care facilities, health sector suppliers, and member organizations for making a commitment to and progressing toward environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Each year, Practice Greenhealth honors health care facilities through the following awards:
Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award
The Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award is Practice Greenhealth’s highest honor for hospitals. These hospitals are leading the industry with innovation… Read More
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Join Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals.
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. Partnership opportunities include hospitals, health systems, community health organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and the health care value chain.