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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) 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) 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
Health care is a huge generator of waste materials. While some wastes are difficult to avoid, many waste types can be reduced, and others can be recovered and recycled. This employee education presentation focuses on the best ways to reduce, reuse, recycle, and properly dispose of waste in Legacy Health facilities.
Type: Resources
Seeking ways to reduce waste during a pandemic may feel like an impossible or unimportant task, but it is more important than ever. Greenhouse gas emissions from waste represent 1-5% percent of U.S. emissions, and hospitals produce an average of 30 pounds of waste per patient per day. Most hospitals are experiencing an increase in waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to the increased use of disposable PPE. During times of crisis, health systems are under intense pressure to serve the community while remaining financially viable. Waste reduction offers hospitals an opportunity to… Read More
Type: Press
The typical categories of medical waste and details regarding state-regulated treatment.
Type: Resources
When contracting for waste management and recycling services, consider the suggested RFI/RFP questions to assess service options to maximize waste reduction and recycling opportunities. Practice Greenhealth provides members detailed purchasing guidance on waste tracking, hauling, auditing, and fees.
Type: Resources
Sample poster from Dartmouth-Hitchcock made with a customizable template to raise awareness around less waste.
Type: Resources
(Less waste toolkit)The material and waste baseline PowerPoint presentation and script was developed to help you educate your community. Download the PowerPoint with notes to use as you see fit.
Type: Resources
Highlight the less waste champions within your organization using this "It starts with us" poster template. Simply download this Microsoft Word document, customize with your organization's logo and employees' information, and save to a PDF to print.
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.
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.