Search Results
Displaying results 91 - 100 of 202
Waste is a common challenge for health care organizations, no matter their size. Waste is complex and expensive to manage. Hospitals produce more than 5 million tons of waste each year.
Hospitals generate over 29 pounds of waste per bed per day. A waste plan is critical for any sustainability programming.
Every hospital is challenged by the complexity of health care waste and limited recycling and management options. Recycling isn’t enough. Member hospitals who look upstream by studying incoming material and then reduce both inputs and outputs together see greater reductions in total… Read More
Type: Basic page
Solid waste is the largest waste stream for health care organizations, comprising two-thirds of all hospital waste. Though relatively straightforward to dispose of, the sheer volume of solid waste consumes more than 30 percent of the hospital’s total waste budget. It is also often called municipal, black bag, clear bag, or non-regulated medical waste.
Solid waste from hospitals resembles the waste generated in other sectors or even from residential neighborhoods: paper, cardboard, food waste, textiles, plastics, and other non-regulated trash, but with more plastic from gloves, catheter bags… Read More
Type: Basic page
Bulky materials such as ceiling tiles, bricks, glass, carpeting, cabinetry, and cement from construction and renovation projects can be expensive to remove. Many of Practice Greenhealth member hospitals have been able to reduce the amount of construction and demolition debris that goes to landfills by nearly 80 percent by:
Building recycling and reuse goals and requirements into new construction contracts
Purchasing fewer materials or purchasing more recyclable and/or reusable construction materials at the outset of a project
Better segregation of materials such as furniture, cabinetry,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste is a small percentage of a hospital’s total generated waste, but it has a big impact on the waste management budget, costing on average more than 15 percent of total waste spending.
Hospitals need to have a clear understanding of how much hazardous waste they generate as different rules apply based on this total. It is also important to understand the federal and state laws that govern the definition and disposal of this costly waste stream.
Hazardous waste is a common byproduct of many hospital operations. Departments that frequently use chemicals… Read More
Type: Basic page
Regulated medical waste, also called red bag waste, biohazard waste, or infectious medical waste is one of the most expensive waste streams to manage.
Though it can make up less than 8 percent of a hospital’s total waste production, it can cost more than 40 percent of their waste management budgets to handle.
Over the last 20 years, we’ve learned a lot about the impacts of regulated medical waste and its disposal from the hospitals we work with.
By narrowing down the scope of regulated medical waste into several sub-categories based on levels of risk they pose, hospitals can more narrowly… Read More
Type: Basic page
Data collection is essential to effective sustainability programs, but it’s only useful if the data is used and acted upon. By aggregating data from hospitals across our network, Practice Greenhealth provides valuable insights into the state of sustainability work across the sector.
We know your data is precious, and we are committed to protecting it. Please see our data policy to learn more
“Thanks to the data analyzed through the awards platform at Practice Greenhealth, we're in a healthier position to categorically mitigate the various wastes associated with health care operations while… Read More
Type: Basic page
Practice Greenhealth provides a range of tools and resources to support partners in sharing their sustainability progress through participation in our awards program.
Partner facilities use the awards application and benchmark report results to:
Develop their sustainability baseline, benchmark, and compare performance
Identify key areas of opportunity
Earn recognition for their sustainability program
The Practice Greenhealth awards team is here to help as you complete your Environmental Excellence Awards applications. If you have any questions, please contact us… Read More
Type: Basic page
Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth have integrated their own climate resilience planning guidance with plan elements suggested by the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) to create this recommended climate resilience plan outline for health care organizations. This plan will be updated periodically, in response to advancements in this work and learnings shared by those engaged in implementing climate resilience plans within their communities.
Introduction (identified need, target population, and objectives)
General methodology
Internal participants (Element 5… Read More
Type: Basic page
There are many reasons to participate in the Environmental Excellence Awards: benchmarking data, comparing your data to peers, finding ways to expand your program, and receiving validation for your sustainability work. Whatever your motivation, here are some tips and strategies to help you make the most of your time.
Type: Basic page
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.