Search Results
Displaying results 31 - 40 of 472
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
University of Maryland Medical Center has been using reusable gowns and basins in their operating rooms for 15 years. In 2007, UMMC staff started a green team to decrease the facility's negative impact on the environment. A review of the hospital's waste disposal system led administrators to reduce the amount of waste the facility generates.
Type: Resources
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.
The Practice Greenhealth waste tracker helps our members identify how much hazardous and universal waste they… 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
Developing a robust waste baseline is a foundational element in setting waste reduction goals and targets. Identifying different waste stream volumes can be complex and may require interaction with a variety of waste haulers and/or vendors. Many hospitals find that data on waste streams has not historically been tracked at a granular level.
Type: Basic page
Medical and clinical director of sustainability positions ensure alignment between sustainability and clinical care – helping organizations reduce waste and emissions, engage and educate the clinical workforce, build resilience, save money, and improve care.
A growing number of health professionals currently serve as medical or clinical director of sustainability, or an equivalent title, for their hospital or health system. Health professionals, sustainability leaders, and administrators are increasingly discovering the full value these positions can bring to their organizations.
“Our… Read More
Type: Basic page
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
Type: Basic page
This less waste resource provides key guidance to help with your sustainability goals and daily challenges.
Understand why it’s important to commit to reducing waste.
Access step by step guidance on how to conduct a material and waste baseline.
Learn from case studies of success from Partners HealthCare, Vidant Health, Inova, and other systems.
Download the How to Guide, presentation with script and poster to help your facility further its sustainability success through waste minimization.
Access archived training on how to track materials and wastes.
Type: Toolkit
The University of Washington Medical Center provides a case study in utility cost reduction involving assessment of and improvements to its HVAC, water, and waste management systems.
Type: Resources
Framework for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
It is important to know the correct classification of all of the organization's waste, as different sets of rules will apply to the facility depending on the total amounts of each type of hazardous waste generated per year. Large quantity generators (LQGs) operate under more stringent rules and more comprehensive reporting requirements than small quantity generators (SQGs). The following information will assist healthcare organizations in determining what to count toward their hazardous waste totals.
Type: Resources
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.