Tools and resources

How to reduce regulated medical waste

• Guide
• Waste
• Regulated medical waste
• Toolkit

(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…

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Defining waste and material streams

• Guide
• Waste

(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. 

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Less waste how-to guide

• Waste
• Medical Waste
• Regulated medical waste
• Hazardous and universal waste
• Construction and demolition debris
• Solid waste
• food waste
• Pharmaceutical Waste
• Reuse, donate, or sell
• Composting
• Recycling
• Toolkit

(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’…

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Employee engagement toolkit

• Toolkit
• Employee engagement
• Employee Benefit

This Employee engagement resource provides partners with sustainability goals and addresses daily challenges. Learn why it’s important to engage workers and how University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland Clinic, Inova Health, Advocate Health care, and other systems are engaging staff to deepen or broaden the impacts of their sustainability programs. Included in this suite of resources is a…

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Healthy Interiors Goal

• Guide
• Chemicals
• Healthy interiors

Practice Greenhealth’s Healthy Interiors goal promotes public and environmental health and helps accelerate the transformation of the furnishings market to safer products.   What is Practice Greenhealth’s Healthy Interiors goal? Ensure that 30% of the annual volume of furnishings and furniture purchases (based on cost) eliminate the use of formaldehyde, perfluorinated compounds,…

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Guidance for PVC and DEHP elimination in medical products

• Chemicals
• Guide
• Safer medical products and devices

This document provides guidance for hospitals working to meet the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) elimination goal of the safer chemicals challenge.

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Understanding labels: Sustainable eggs

• Food
• Purchasing
• Food and Beverage Purchasing

This vetted list of criteria meets the definition of sustainable eggs for Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth.

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Understanding labels: Meat and poultry

• Purchasing
• Food

This vetted list of criteria and third-party certifications meets the definition of sustainable meat and poultry for Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth.

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Hackensack University Medical Center: Better meat case study

• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Case Study
• Local and sustainable purchasing
• Food

Hackensack University Medical Center’s annual food and beverage budget is $5 million with an estimated $1.5 million spend on meat and poultry. They serve more than 2.8 million meals annually. In only 18 months, Hackensack University Medical Center now leads the country in achieving a 98 percent benchmark of meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics. Leadership is driving change through…

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Promoting and marketing antibiotic stewardship through food services

• Marketing
• Sustainable food service operations
• Guide

(Health Care Without Harm) This is a guide for food service staff to educate and incentivize around meat and poultry raised without routine antibiotics. Your facility has made a commitment to antibiotic stewardship and is working towards the goal of reducing antibiotic misuse and overuse through foodservice procurement. As part of food services or administration at your hospital, you’re working…

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