Tenet Florida hospitals achieve successful, measurable results in achieving green goals through implementing Stericycle’s sustainable solutions service. The service includes a strong focus on sustainable initiatives, ranging from recycling to keeping pharmaceuticals out of the water and plastic and cardboard out of landfills.
The 10 Tenet Florida hospitals launched the sustainable solutions service in 2012 and have since accomplished:
• 152,254 pounds of CO2 emissions annually prevented by using reusable sharps containers
• not burning 7,841 gallons of gas and 2,879 BBQ propane tanks due to a use of reusable containers
• recycling 5.5 million pounds annually for a collective average of 25.9 percent of total waste compared to 3.7 percent prior to implementation
• Regulated medical waste (commonly referred to as red bag waste) was reduced by 6 percent
These integrated initiatives aim to green Tenet’s Florida hospitals by including significant training on proper segregation techniques. Tenet Healthcare is a member of Practice Greenhealth, a nonprofit membership organization for best practices and environmental solutions in the healthcare community.
Stericycle’s services manage all 10 hospital’s disparate waste streams to assure safe handling of all waste and to emphasize regulatory compliance. Hospital teams are trained by healthcare compliance specialists regarding Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation regulations, and the 20 Joint Commission standards that focus on hazardous or pharmaceutical waste.
