Developing a sustainable system for managing and reducing medical waste Stephanie Ng, RN University...
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Transcript of Developing a sustainable system for managing and reducing medical waste Stephanie Ng, RN University...
Developing a sustainable system for managing and reducing medical waste
Stephanie Ng, RNUniversity Health Services | UT Austin
Objectives Examine the importance of reducing the
environmental impact of student health centers
Define methods for assessing waste patterns
Discuss how to develop, implement, and evaluate a waste reduction and recycling plan
Field questions
Promote Healthy Values “Do no harm”
Environmental Benefit Hospitals and medical facilities are
some of the largest waste producers in the country
Fiscal Benefit Cheaper to make products using
recycled materials Save on landfill and incinerator costs
Health and Sustainability Human health and environmental health
are linked
Types of Waste Solid waste Regulated medical waste Hazardous waste Pharmaceutical waste Universal waste Recyclables Construction and Demolition Debris Composting
Reduce Biohazard Waste Biggest cost for us
Other consequences: Incineration Can set an example for labs across
campus and future medical school
Increase Recycling Surprising amount of supplies and
equipment can be recycled!
Reduce solid waste UHS produces ~91 lbs of waste/day
That’s ~455 lbs/week
Products in Use Most commonly used materials and
supplies
Financial Resources Green Fee Grant
Establish Realistic Goals
Current Statistics
Goals % difference
Solid Waste 68.9% 60% -12.9%
Recycling 15% 30% +100%
Hazardous Material
16% 10% -37.5%
Metrics Weigh waste (Penn State) Survey staff
Support from Organizational Leadership An absolute MUST!
Phased Culture Shift Need to get staff
on board Implement in
small, achievable steps
Incentives
How to Get Started Who are the departments you will
collaborate with? Material management department Facilities, EH&S, and custodial staff
Who are your vendors? Who is your recycling vendor? What
can they recycle? Do you need to find specialized vendors?
How to Get Started What is the current process your health
center uses to take out solid, recycling, and biohazard waste?
How much is going into your 3 streams? What are other departments on campus
doing? Which of your staff are on board?
The Plan Educate, educate, educate Place single stream recycling bins in
break rooms and nurses’ stations
The Plan Educate Place single stream recycling bins in
break rooms and nurses’ stations Place recycling bins in every exam room Place a graphic in every exam room
The Plan Educate Place single stream recycling bins in
break rooms and nurses’ stations Place recycling bins in every exam room Place a graphic in every exam room Initiate pilot trials of nitrile glove
recycling in WH, UC, and lab
The Plan Educate Place single stream recycling bins in
break rooms and nurses’ stations Place recycling bins in every exam room Place a graphic in every exam room Initiate pilot trials of nitrile glove
recycling in WH, UC, and lab Experiment with smaller biohazard bins
Implementation Pilot Trial #1
In Urgent Care & Women’s Health for 2 weeks Outfit every exam room with a recycling bin
and graphic Determine how easy or difficult it is for
clinical staff to divert waste into correct receptacle by surveying staff
Staff education
Implementation Pilot Trial #2
Roll out in General Medicine, Sports Medicine, & Lab for 2 weeks
Implementation Pilot Trial #3: Nitrile glove recycling in
Urgent Care, Women’s Health, & Lab
Evaluation Weigh waste
Analyze any statistical differences from Fall 2013 data
Surveyed staff
Evaluation
Fall 2013 Stats
Goals Spring 2014 Stats
Solid Waste 65.4% 60% 58.4%
Recycling 14.3% 30% 33.8%
Hazardous Material
20.3% 10% 7.8%
Some Thoughts for the Future Are exam table paper and pillows
necessary?
Some Thoughts for the Future Composting
AcknowledgmentsBIG thank you to the following people!
Kathy Mosteller Ben Lara & the materials management team Karen Blaney & the Office of Sustainability Sally Moore, Fidel Garcia, Patricia Maurizi Schiff, &
the custodial team Nena Anderson, Joe Bussey, & the EH&S team Darlene Mitchell & the SSB Building Management
team All of UHS’ nurse managers
Resources Healthier Hospitals Initiative (2012).
Healthier Hospitals Initiative. Retrieved from http://healthierhospitals.org/
Practice Greenhealth. (2013). Practice Greenhealth. Retrieved from https://practicegreenhealth.org/
Rich, C.R., Singleton, J.K., Wadhwa, S.S. (2013). Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A leadership imperative. New York, NY: Routledge.
Other Examples Pennsylvania State University University of North Texas (UNT) Medical University of South Carolina
(MUSC) UT Southwestern
Questions