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The main task of a regulated treatment system is to render the waste noninfectious. The technical means to disinfect medical waste has existed for a long time. Incineration was once the method of choice for dealing with medical waste, and many hospitals burned their waste on site. But it gradually became clear that, while protecting the public from infection, hospitals using onsite incinerators were exposing the public to emissions that included mercury, dioxins, and other highly toxic substances. In 1996, medical waste incinerators were listed as the largest source of dioxin and in 1997, as… Read More
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Since 2009, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center has reduced its regulated medical waste (RMW) from 10 to seven percent of total waste, saving an estimated $2,000 per year in waste disposal fees. The operating room and endoscopy personnel identified opportunities for improvement. This win-win opportunity was accomplished through education, improved segregation, and regular audits.
Type: Resources
The typical categories of medical waste and details regarding state-regulated treatment.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Because regulated medical waste (RMW) or red bag waste can cost between five to 10 times more than solid waste, over-use of red bag waste receptacles is like throwing away dollars. Depending on current practices, hospitals have saved thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars by addressing container over-use. If a facility generates more than 10 percent RMW, reducing this waste is a worthwhile priority due to the potential cost savings. In fact, CDC suggests that only three to five percent of hospital waste requires disposal as RMW. This step-… Read More
Type: Resources
The operating room (OR) is often the largest generator of waste within a hospital setting, and has been estimated to produce between 20-33% of the total waste generated in the hospital despite its diminutive spatial footprint. Of the waste generated by the OR, the largest percentage is often regulated medical waste (RMW), which can costs between 5 and 10 times more than solid waste to dispose of. Much of this cost can be avoided with proper waste segregation.
There are several finite steps an organization can follow to set up and implement a regulatory compliant RMW segregation program.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) is a nonprofit academic health system that serves a patient population of 1.2 million in New England. The main campus, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC), In 2014, DHMC generated 2,867.5 tons of waste and had a 35% reuse and recycling rate. As part of a five-year strategic goal planning process in 2015, D-HH’s Environmental Sustainability Council identified two key goals: reduce the total pounds of waste per square foot by 10%, and achieve a 50% reuse and recycling rate. In order to put a plan in place to meet these targets,… Read More
Type: Resources
Several Pacific Northwest sustainability leads were inspired by the collaborative research, assessment, and solutions developed by Dr. Brian Chesebro and Andy Mason from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center that was presented during the 2022 CleanMed Conference. With continued interest, the group convened a collaborative to expand their solutions across the region with the goal of transforming the delivery method of nitrous oxide within hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to radically reduce leaks and resulting greenhouse gas emissions.
More than 150 attendees participated in the… Read More
Type: Resources
View this resource to see an example of a recycling poster from Boston Medical Center and Stericycle.
Type: Resources
Open this resource to view an employee education presentation from the University of Vermont Medical Center on recycling.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Learn how Inova Fairfax Hospital, a 900-bed trauma 1 community hospital in Falls Church, Va., reduced 14 percent of red bag waste and saved over $200,000 in waste removal fees.
Type: Resources
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