It’s Time for Hospitals and Medical Practices to Minimize Plastic Waste
Plastic waste in hospitals must be recycled. Our medical transcription service firm also ensures that there is minimal plastic waste in our offices.
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The digital age has made transcription faster, cheaper, and more environment-friendly and being a part of the healthcare system we, a medical transcription service provider, have also taken measures to minimize the use of plastic and protect the environment. Similarly, hospitals, healthcare units, medical practices etc are going green by reducing the use of plastic. Every year, nine million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean, causing a series of problems for marine wildlife and the surrounding ecosystems and by 2025, the amount of plastic entering the ocean is estimated to be double. American hospitals produce an average of 5.9 million tons of waste per year and Practice Greenhealth, a non-profit organization that works to make hospitals more sustainable, found that in the healthcare industry approximately 29 pounds of waste is created per staffed bed every day and 25 percent of the waste generated by a hospital is plastic. This is because plastic is versatile, inexpensive and readily available. Moreover, single use plastic can be an attractive option as it offers a sterile environment. Plastic-free Environment According to American Chemistry Council, a plastic trade group, “Single-use plastics are the cleanest, most efficient way� to facilitate health and hygiene in hospitals. But those working to make hospitals more sustainable say plastics have been overused. A survey by Practice Greenhealth was conducted among 332 hospitals to look into the single use of plastic in operating rooms which is replaced by reusable items. Tools like surgical basins and sterilization wraps could be reused and this would reduce waste by several tons per year and it would also help hospitals save thousands of dollars. How Hospitals Are Reducing Plastic Waste Reusing: The most common form of plastic thrown out of hospitals are the blue wraps that cover sterilized tools that is removed and discarded before surgeries. Some hospitals are experimenting by trying to replace the blue wrap with reusable sterilization containers that can be made clean just like the instruments they contain. Recycling better: There are many different types of plastic and some of it can be recovered and some cannot be recovered. Now facilities may have to throw their plastic waste into incinerators or landfills, because China would no longer be buying two-thirds of the world’s waste, as the country announced in 2018. This would lead to incinerators releasing toxic www.medicaltranscriptionservicecompany.com
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chemicals. This is why hospitals will have to seriously consider recycling plastic waste. The challenge here is a single hospital producing sufficient material to be attractive to a recycler. This would be more practical if waste can be collected from a number of locations. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council offers a toolkit for hospitals that are looking to join a recycling network. The environmental non-profit organization, Healthcare Without Harm found that the world’s healthcare industry is contributing to more than 4 percent of the world’s emissions which is equal to emissions produced by more than five coal-fired power plants in a year. Although many hospitals are implementing sustainable offices, there won’t be zero waste. For a better environment, hospitals and medical care facilities should take measures to minimize plastic waste. Unlike carbon emissions, plastic trash is glaringly noticeable, and it’s something patients and doctors alike want to reduce. Plastic waste is becoming a grave problem worldwide. Though plastic has its benefits and is indeed an important material for the economy, its greatest disadvantage is that it takes thousands of years to biodegrade. It pollutes the natural environment, and has a negative impact on our oceans while also consuming valuable space in landfill sites. Though plastic can be recycled, it is an energy-intensive process that not many municipal governments can handle due to lack of infrastructure. The production process of plastic is a leading cause of carbon emissions that contributes to global warming. More than 90% of the energy and resources to make plastic is being produced from fossil fuel resources. All these facts point to the vitality of reducing plastic use drastically. Being an active part of the healthcare industry, our medical transcription company ensures that there is minimal plastic waste in our offices. Many hospitals and other health systems are taking active measures to reduce plastic waste in their surroundings. It’s time that this became one of their prime concerns so that the best options can be identified to minimize the use of plastic and recycle it wisely when used.
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918-221-7809