Auditing an intensive care unit recycling program

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Healthcare Management
• Waste Management

Background:

• Healthcare activities generate substantial environmental impacts, including energy and water consumption, waste production, and emissions from manufacturing and transport.
• Hospital waste recycling is a key strategy to reduce landfill burden, conserve resources, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially improve cost-efficiency.
• An intensive care unit (ICU) recycling program was initiated due to the high proportion of recyclable materials identified in ICU waste streams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the weight and proportion of waste recycled within an ICU.
• To assess the rate of incorrect waste disposal, including infectious waste contamination of recyclables.
• To evaluate the potential for increased recycling and the financial implications of the program.

Main Methods:

• Waste and recyclables from an 11-bed ICU were weighed over 7 non-consecutive days.
• Waste was sorted into general, infectious, and specific recycling streams (paper/cardboard, polypropylene, mixed plastics, PVC, commingled).
• Recycling was categorized as achieved, potential, and total; financial costs (excluding labor) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Total ICU waste was 505 kg over 7 days, with 44% general, 27% infectious, and 28% potentially recyclable.
• 14% of total waste (70 kg) was actually recycled, representing 49% of potentially recyclable material.
• Infectious waste comprised 82% of its stream; recycling streams showed no infectious contamination, with minimal contamination (<1%) except for PVC (37%).

Conclusions:

• The ICU recycling program achieved a 14% recycling rate of total waste, recovering nearly half of potentially recyclable items.
• No infectious contamination was found in recyclables, and other waste stream contamination was minimal, except for PVC plastics.
• The program's estimated annual cost was approximately $1000, influenced by disposal costs for certain recyclables like paper and cardboard.