North Carolina Baptist Hospital (NCBH) is an 806-bed, tertiary-care facility serving
northwest North Carolina. Along with the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, the
Hospital's 9,000 employees care for 23,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients
each year. Municipal solid waste streams include aluminum and steel cans, office
paper, corrugated cardboard, plastics, glass, landscape materials, food wastes, and
construction and demolition (C&D) wastes.
P2 Application:
NCBH encourages employees to share ideas on waste reduction, reuse, and
recycling through its Viewpoints program and Project Waste Watch, a monthly idea
exchange conducted during 1992. The Viewpoints program provides monetary
awards to employees for ideas that demonstrate cost containment and waste
reduction. The following projects resulted from employee suggestions:
A battery exchange program resulted in a 26-percent decrease in battery
usage.
Foam overlays (egg crate mattresses) were replaced with pressure-reduction
mattresses.
Disposable jumpsuits for operating room visitors were switched for
washable cotton coveralls; associated savings were $1,700.
Separate clear, graduated cylinders used to measure urine volume were
eliminated with the use of clear male urinals; this change annually prevents
36,000 graduated cylinders from entering the waste stream.
Operating room staff collect clean plastic trays from surgical supply
packages, pacemaker boxes, and unused blue drape material for reuse in the
Childcare Center for play therapy, arts, and crafts.
The Dietary Department sells beverage mugs to employees and offers ongoing
discounts for employees who use the mugs for refills.
Medical Center employees exchange new city telephone directories for old
ones. By recycling old telephone books, 11 tons of paper are diverted from
the landfill annually.
NCBH worked with a mail packaging company to reuse packing peanuts
and bubble pack.
The Medical Center is currently involved in a pilot project to recover
plastic soft drink and milk containers. As products are delivered to
hospital stations, the delivery box is left to collect the empty containers and
is picked up with each new delivery. Soda bottles and aluminum cans left
on cafeteria trays are collected for recycling.
The Materials Management Department collects used laser printing and
ribbon cartridges for recycling and reuse. By refilling cartridges instead of
buying new ones, the Hospital saves $40 per toner cartridge.
The Purchasing Department collects used laser printer and ribbon cartridges
for recycling.
Comments: Revenue recovered from the sale of office paper, corrugated cardboard, aluminum
cans, wood pallets, and scrap metal during 1994 was $34,113 with an additional
$16,600 saved in disposal expenses.
Details of Reductions
450.0 - Tons of
Solid Waste
Comments: In calendar year 1993, the NCBH recycled 450 tons of materials in its office paper,
corrugated cardboard, aluminum can, and wood pallet recycling programs. An
additional 11 tons of telephone directories were collected for recycling.
Additional Information :
In addition, major recycling programs collect office paper, corrugated cardboard,
aluminum cans, and wood pallets. Magazines, newspapers, and styrofoam peanuts
are collected in newly established recycling programs. In additional projects, city
and campus telephone directories are collected, plastic six-pack rings are recycled,
and silver and X-ray film is recovered.
