Less Is More: Going Green in Urological Procedures.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Waste Management
• Urology
• Environmental Sustainability in Medicine

Background:

• Operating rooms generate disproportionately high waste volumes within healthcare.
• Urologic procedures contribute significantly to this waste stream.
• Current recycling practices in urology operating rooms are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify recyclable and nonrecyclable waste from specific urologic procedures.
• To assess current recycling practices among urologists.
• To identify opportunities for waste reduction in urology ORs.

Main Methods:

• Collected waste weight data for five urologic procedures (stent exchange, ureteroscopy, PCNL, radical prostatectomy, cystectomy) from January 2024 to October 2024.
• Categorized waste into nonrecyclable solid and recyclable materials.
• Administered an 11-question survey to urologists across 8 AUA sections regarding OR recycling.

Main Results:

• Quantified waste for procedures including stent exchange (1.87/1.2 kg), ureteroscopy (3.7/1.0 kg), PCNL (6.5/1.65 kg), radical prostatectomy (11.3/2.97 kg), and cystectomy (11.69/2.67 kg).
• Surveyed 30 urologists; 41.2% of academic hospitals and 28.6% of community hospitals had OR recycling.
• Only 38.8% felt knowledgeable about OR recycling, and 11.1% had received training.

Conclusions:

• Urology operating rooms generate considerable waste, a significant portion of which is recyclable.
• There is a clear opportunity for implementing targeted recycling initiatives within urology ORs.
• Further research and standardized protocols are needed to improve OR waste management and sustainability.