Sharps Disposal In the News
St. Joseph Hospital plans to significantly reduce carbon footprint with reusable sharps containers
For Immediate Release
Contact: Lindsay Robuccio
lrobucci@sjhnh.org
(603) 882.3000, ext. 63240
Nashua, NH & Lake Forest, Ill. – St. Joseph Hospital today announced it is reducing carbon emissions by switching to the proactive Sharps Management Service using Bio Systems reusable containers by Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL). The service prevents a significant amount of cardboard and plastic from going to the landfill each year. With each reusable container, an average of 600 disposable sharps containers are kept from going to the landfill.
U.S. hospitals generate 6,600 tons of waste each day1. Whether hospitals choose to use disposable or reusable sharps containers, their regulated medical waste must be properly segregated and disposed for environmental and compliance reasons. Disposable containers end up in landfills, contributing to the healthcare industry’s sizable carbon footprint.
A fall 2009 study by the University of Chicago Hospitals was published in JAMA2 and found that the American healthcare sector accounts for 8% of the U.S. carbon footprint. The analysis found that hospitals are by far the largest contributor of carbon emissions in the healthcare sector, and the second most energy intensive industry3. The EPA is upping its efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the U.S. as part of its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2012 from its 2009 baseline.
As hospitals begin to explore environmental best practices such as reducing waste and implementing sustainable waste management programs to minimize their footprints, “green teams” are seeking additional ways to improve their practices. A 2009 survey by Practice Greenhealth, with more than 700 hospital members, found 64% were implementing medical waste reduction programs. Yet few tools exist to specifically help measure a hospital’s environmental impact.
The Stericycle Carbon Footprint Estimator4 tool is designed to help U.S. hospitals determine the amount of plastic, cardboard and resulting CO2 emissions they are able to keep out of the environment by switching a healthcare facility or hospital system from disposable sharps containers to reusable containers.
In one year using the system, St. Joseph Hospital plans to divert 13,708 pounds of CO2 from 23,102 pounds of plastic and 1,795 pounds of cardboard based on having 208 beds. This carbon diversion is the equivalent to not burning 706 gallons of gasoline4.
According to Mark McKenna, director of hospitality services at St. Joseph Hospital, “By switching to Stericycle’s Sharps Management Service using Bio Systems reusable containers, we plan to significantly decrease our carbon footprint. We challenge every hospital to play a role in reducing the healthcare sector’s national carbon emissions,” said McKenna.
Since 1986, U.S. hospitals using the Stericycle Sharps Management System Bio Systems reusable containers have kept more than 79 million disposable containers out of landfills.
About St. Joseph Healthcare
St. Joseph Healthcare is a regional, full-service healthcare system dedicated to providing innovative, high quality health care. The main campus, St. Joseph Hospital, is a 208-bed facility combining the latest technologies and personalized medicine with conveniences such as around-the-clock emergency services, comprehensive, specialized treatment and preventive services at the Cardiovascular & Diabetes Center, Breast Care Center, and Oncology Center, a CARF-accredited stroke program at our Rehabilitation Center, and labor and delivery services at the Childbirth Center. We offer an extensive physician network of specialists and primary care providers. Affiliates include St. Joseph Home & Hospice, Rockingham Regional Ambulance, and Granite State Mediquip.
About Stericycle:
Lake Forest, IL-based Stericycle (NASDAQ: SRCL) is a leader in healthcare-related services that protect people and reduce risk. With more than 430,000 customers worldwide, Stericycle has operations in North America, Europe, and Latin America. Visit www.stericycle.com.
Safe Harbor Statement: Statements in this press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control (for example, general economic conditions). Our actual results could differ significantly from the results described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include changes in governmental regulation of medical waste collection and treatment and increases in transportation and other operating costs, as well as the other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, past financial performance should not be considered a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate future results or trends. We make no commitment to disclose any subsequent revisions to forward-looking statements.
1 Zimmerman, G. “The prescription for green health care facilities.” Building Operating Management, June 2009.
2 The University Chicago Medical Center
3 Schwartz, Judith D. “Putting Health Care on an Energy Diet.” TIME, November 10, 2008.
4 www.stericycle.com/carbon-footprint-estimator.html
Prepared by:
The Ballast Group
312-751-3959