Do You Want to Save $35,000?
Saving $35,000 sounds impossible, right? Wrong. Inside the operating room there’s a HUGE opportunity. According to Practice Greenhealth, the operating room can account for 30% of all waste generated facility-wide and up to 60% of all regulated medical waste (RMW). And, did you know that the average cost of RMW is 11 times more expensive than regular trash (municipal solid waste) and up to 17 times more expensive than recycling??? Reducing RMW may seem like a challenge, but we’re professional trash talkers, it’s in our DNA.
It all starts with looking at the waste coming out of the operating rooms. Do you see large red bags that are a bit fluffy’? If you do, chances are that it looks like the picture above and it means that you and your staff may be over-classifying waste. Throwing non-RMW materials into the red bag leads to high waste disposal costs.
We’ll gather information specific to your operating room and determine the potential cost-savings without sacrificing work-flow. Here are a few tips for success in making sure all waste ends up in the correct waste stream:
- Establishing a Baseline with Waste Audits: How do you know what to change without knowing what how much waste you generate?
- Know-How: We’re professional trash talkers, remember, we’ll share our 15 years of experience with you and your staff.
- New Tools: Think containers, some may be able to reuse existing equipment, while others may need to purchase new.
- Colored Bag-Liners: Color-code everything, down to the bag-liners, it’s essential.
- Custom Signage: Supportive signage with site-specific details is a useful reminder on proper disposal.
- Personalized Education: Leave it to us, we’ll educate and answer your staff’s questions in-person, so you don’t have to.
- Bribes: …I guess the politically correct term may be incentives. Our go-to incentive is candy.
Call us today for a free site assessment of your operating room, surgery center, or other healthcare-related facility. Let us unlock your true potential and guide you to reduce negative impacts as they relate to waste and promote the start of your sustainability success!
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