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A BWHer drops a cell phone into the recycling kiosk.
Environmental Services staff recently hauled their first batch of cell phones from the recycling kiosks located outside the Cafeteria and at 850 Boylston St. The verdict is in: the program is a success.
“Both containers were full, and we’re very pleased with the response,” said Rick Bass, director of Environmental Services. “Properly disposing of this type of electronic waste is a significant step towards reducing its impact on the environment.”
As the world celebrated Earth Day last week, here at BWH, the Cell Phone Recycling Program is just one of the many initiatives or programs taking places to make the hospital greener.
In fact, the hospital’s recycling efforts supersede the American Hospital Association’s Sustainability Roadmap, which calls for most hospitals to recycle 25 percent of their waste by 2015. Four years ahead of schedule, BWH’s current recycling rate is 32 percent.
This achievement is due in large part to multi-department teamwork. Led by Environmental Services, the hospital’s practices include recycling nearly 40 tons of cardboard a month and running the Tag and Snag program twice a year to remove unwanted equipment for proper recycling at its highest and best use.
Other departments also pitch in to make BWH a greener place: Ambulatory Services ran a program to recycle office supplies and toner cartridges, swapping $20,000 worth of supplies and donating 35 boxes left over to Boston Public Schools. Engineering properly recycles light bulbs and ballasts, and Environmental Affairs does the same for batteries and chemicals. In addition, the Product Utilization Review Committee, sponsored by Patient Care Services, held a Go Green contest last month and received waste-reducing and cost-savings ideas from 270 BWHers.
Department staff can also do their part for the environment by hosting recycling bins for bottles and cans, which must be rinsed out before collection to avoid pest issues.
Mixed-paper recycling bins, however, are not used on clinical units because of the need to protect patient privacy, Bass said. Any documents containing patient information must beplaced in secure containers, and the paper is recycled after shredding.
“The initiatives throughout the hospital and distributed campus together make a large impact on minimizing waste and making BWH a greener, more earth-friendly institution,” Bass said.
For more information about hosting recycling bins for bottles and cans, contact Loay Kitmitto at lkitmitto@partners.org
5 Comments
Use green/low wattage bulbs, recycled papertowels, and ask staff to reuse paper that's only printed on 1 side. Switch to low water usage toilets and sinks. Turn the heat and ac down to keep heating costs reasonable. Stop offering cups by the water cooler so folks will have to use water bottles or real glasses. Reminders signs to turn off lights & computers. Put recycling bins everywhere, especially staff kitchens. Ensure fax machines aren't set to print a receipt for each transmission (saves paper!).
Post the average number of calories used by BMI/ pounds required to walk up (& down) stairs. ie; from SH lobby -> SH8, from CWN lobby -> 7th/ 10th floor. (need to post directions to stairwells). Fewer elevator trips,(less electricity used) leaner/more fit staff-- all for free!
Suggest discount pedometers for "Stair People" (to encourage use). Estimate number of minutes to get to various destinations so staff not late getting TO work. (that way, they might take stairs 1/2 way and switch to elevators). Maybe floor based weekly contest for best time/s?
As above, there should be many more combination bins around the hosptital that allow for proper disposal of bottles/plastic cups/ cans/ newspapers. They should be one placed in all departments and clinics. The clinics shouln't have to reach out to environmental engineering for these, environmental engineering should come around to clinics for placement. I've been to Dartmouth-Hitchock and they do a fabulous job there!
Plastic recycling is a fundamental service of a green society, and as such it would be awesome to see recycling bins around the hospital and 221. Reminders for staff to turn off computers and monitors when they leave for the day would also be a big saver, along with reminders or automated off switches for bathroom lights. Keep up the good work!
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