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Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
Resources for Environmentally
Responsible Medical Waste Management
"Healthcare
facilities often spend more than is necessary to treat
medical waste that is not defined as regulated. This increases the
cost of healthcare and wastes resources."
Source:
NC DENR
"Some hospitals have taken steps to reduce their use of potentially toxic materials and to
decrease the total volume of incinerator waste. A waste reduction program at the Fletcher-Allen
Health Care System in Vermont reduced the volume of regulated medical waste at one campus by 75%
in a few months. Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City saves $600,000 per year through
improved waste management systems. There is thus potential for medical facilities to decrease
the need for incineration while also saving
costs." Source: Sustainable Hospitals
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Resources for environmentally responsible medical waste management practices (below) that
show it is possible to keep
incineration to the bare minimum:
- Understanding the problem:
- The current medical waste stream in healthcare facilities:
- Waste reduction, segregation and recycling
- Alternatives to incineration of medical waste
- Best practices for environmentally responsible healthcare facilities
| "What is the right thing? Simply put, it is the elimination of all incineration of medical waste not
required by law to be burned."
Martha Hamblin, GASP, at Stericyle Annual Stockholder Meeting
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