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Dear EarthTalk: The hospital I work at doesn't recycle
at all, not even plastic bottles and cans or food service
trays. I was wondering how to get the facility to start up
some kind of recycling system? -- Adrianna Schultz, via
e-mail
 Getting
a large institution or corporation on board with recycling
is no easy job, especially when you are starting from scratch.
A good place to begin is to get permission from higher-ups
to solicit bids from waste haulers and recyclers interested
in new business. Such service providers can provide you with
both the supplies needed to gather recyclables as well as
regular weekly or daily pick-ups, depending on needs.
If convincing your employer to look into recycling in the
first place is a stumbling block, there are many resources
available to help turn that tide. The Rhode Island Resource
Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), a state agency dedicated to
helping Ocean State businesses manage solid waste in environmentally
sound ways, publishes “In the Workplace,” a print
and online pamphlet that outlines the steps for setting up
a workplace recycling and reduction program. According to
RIRRC, wannabe workplace recyclers need to start by securing
organizational support and commitment and educating fellow
employees about the importance of recycling. The pamphlet
also includes useful tips about reducing waste altogether.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's
"Recycling Works" program offers a similar set of
guidelines specifically for recycling at hospitals and health
care institutions. Additionally, New York State's Department
of Environmental Conservation publishes a free guide showing
health care facilities how to evaluate their performance in
preventing waste and pollution and identify opportunities
for recycling and for cutting back resource use.
 Another
good resource for information on hospital recycling is the
website of the nonprofit Waste Reduction Resource Center,
which offers case studies detailing how several small and
large health care facilities coast-to-coast have launched
successful and money-saving recycling and waste reduction
programs. Examples include a Vermont hospital with no budget
for recycling that set up a self-sustaining, money-saving
system for organics collection and composting, and a Pennsylvania
hospital that now saves $150,000 a year due to the implementation
of its recycling program.
Those looking to reduce waste in hospitals should be sure
to consult the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” section of the
Sustainable Hospitals website. The summary provides useful
tools for getting management approvals and enlisting the support
of employees in both recycling and lowering disposable product
consumption. It also has a section on how to reduce energy
usage.
Implementing recycling and waste reduction programs at hospitals
makes sense not only for local ecology and for institutional
bottom line, but also for the examples that can be set for
the millions of patients and workers that pass through the
health care system every day.
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