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Partners HealthCare, based in Boston, uses thousands of imaging products (ink and toner cartridges) for printing, copying, and faxing. Ink and toner cartridges, when not recycled usually end up in landfills. As part of its sustainability and Patient Affordability program, Partner’s sought to grow a closed loop manufacturing process in partnership with Roxbury Technology and to prevent cartridges from ending up in landfills.
Type: Resources
Critical access hospitals such as the 6-bed Vidant Bertie and the 49-bed Vidant Chowan in eastern North Carolina, can make significant improvements in waste reduction despite the relatively small volumes of waste they generate. By installing a recycling dumpster at Bertie and compactors at Chowan, EVS Manager Lizbeth White has seen a 34 percent decrease in cost of solid waste removal at one hospital and 63 percent volume reduction at another. Key waste reduction programs include replacing desk-side trash cans with recycling bins, 96 percent polystyrene elimination, and recycling 67 percent of… Read More
Type: Resources
Implement a construction and demolition debris recycling program for major renovations and new construction to achieve a recycling and diversion rate of at least 80 percent. Construction and demolition debris is bulky, non-compactable material generated during construction and renovation projects. This material includes ceiling tiles, bricks, glass, carpeting, cabinetry, cement and much more. Hospitals have demonstrated the financial and environmental value of reducing the amount of debris headed to landfills through reduction, reuse, and recycling.
Type: Resources
As a component of an application to apply for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for a new construction project, Anne Arundel Medical Center, a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Md., set a goal to achieve a 50 to 75 percent diversion rate of demolition and construction debris. The medical center enrolled in our Less Waste Challenge and set a goal for construction and demolition debris recycling. The project team incorporated diversion and recycling specifications in construction management contracts and tracked and reviewed progress regularly.… Read More
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
(Less waste toolkit) This resource breaks down different types of waste, how they are generally disposed of, costs, etc. and offers recommendations to streamline the processes, improve environmental impact, and cut costs.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit) Hospitals are pouring, burying, burning and cooking garbage made up of plastics, chemicals, paper, food, needles, packaging and lots of electronic equipment. With rising waste removal fees, beach wash-ups, medical waste incinerators identified as a major source of mercury in the environment and the Associated Press’ recent investigation on pharmaceutical waste in the country’s drinking water, it’s undeniable that “away” is a rotary that loops right back to where we started. Steps hospitals take to make less “stuff” can reduce dollars thrown in the trash and help to… Read More
Type: Resources
Beaumont Health System Royal Oak Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., worked with suppliers to reduce waste from the operating room by evaluating the use of reusable as alternatives to disposable surgical instruments.
In 2013 Beaumont received a Partner for Change award from Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading health care membership community. Today Beaumont is a leader in sustainable health care in Michigan.
The hospital worked with Surgitech and Aesculap, Inc., to try a new reusable trocar as an alternative to traditional, single-use disposable trocars. They looked at the doctor… Read More
Type: Resources
The Healthy Flooring how-to guide assists hospitals in achieving our healthy flooring goal, which targets the elimination of chemicals and materials in flooring that can contribute to a wide range of negative health effects, including asthma, cancer, and developmental impacts.
Type: Resources
These documents provide guidance for manufacturers wishing to meet Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Flooring criteria. The criteria apply to all flooring except carpet, fluid applied floors, and concrete. The criteria do not apply to floor leveling compounds or underlayment.
Manufacturers can signal the market that their products meet the criteria below by applying for the Greenhealth Approved seal. Products that pass vetting can achieve either a Silver or Gold Healthy Flooring rating through Greenhealth Approved.
Type: Resources
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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.
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Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 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.