Throughout civilization, healthcare has played a vital role in ensuring the survival of humanity. As individuals age, health issues are bound to arise, emphasizing the importance of accessible and effective healthcare. Unfortunately, healthcare frequently necessitates substantial environmental compromise, as plastic is crucial in treating patients.
One of the most significant environmental impacts of healthcare is the amount of waste that is generated. In healthcare, there is a lot of single-use plastic and there are not many reusable alternatives due to the nature of how hospitals are run and maintained. Examples of plastic that are used in healthcare range from syringes to plastic or nylon sutures, and bandages. These are all the convenience of the fact that they do not need to be cleaned and reused. Furthermore, the waste that is generated from healthcare facilities is considered a biohazard that cannot be disposed of in the same manner as municipal waste
Types of Waste in Healthcare
The healthcare industry has a significant impact on the environment, with the large amount of waste generated being one of the main concerns. Unfortunately, much of this waste is made up of single-use plastics, which are not easily replaceable with reusable alternatives, given the operational and maintenance requirements of hospitals.
Plastics, such as syringes, plastic or nylon sutures, and bandages, are widely used in healthcare.
One of the benefits of using plastic in healthcare is that it eliminates the need for cleaning and reusing medical equipment. However, the waste generated from healthcare facilities is considered a biohazard and must be disposed of differently than municipal waste.
The three main types of healthcare waste are biohazard, infection, and noninfectious (also known as normal municipal waste).
Statistics of Hospital Waste
• According to AMA J Ethics, it has been estimated that around 20% to 25% of healthcare waste comprises plastic. Shockingly, 91% of these plastics, including those used in healthcare, are not recycled and end up in landfills or natural environments.
• According to the American Hospital Association, Hospital patients in the United States generate about 33.8 pounds of waste each day, leading to about 6 million tons annually.
“Regardless of whether waste streams are hazardous or not, all waste is incinerated by the local waste operator due to the origin and perceived threat of contamination.” -Tijana Ivanović, Hans-Jörg Meisel, Claudia Som, Bernd Nowack.
Energy and Water Use From Healthcare
It’s a fact that healthcare facilities consume a significant amount of energy to operate. Unfortunately, older facilities run off gas for heating and cooking, which exacerbates the situation.
Hospitals consume a substantial amount of water, which can be problematic in areas where water is already scarce.
Hospitals use a great deal of energy to run their daily operations from things such as sterilization, x-rays, gamma rays, heating, and air-conditioning.
Water usage in hospitals is also an issue as hospitals do not reduce their usage even in the event of a drought which can further stress the environment and the local population. This is in part due to water needed for cleaning, meal prep, and medication preparation that hospitals cannot reduce their usage even if they want to as sacrifice patient care quality is not ethical. And depending on the energy sources such as fossil fuels it can significantly add to the greenhouse emissions.
What can be Done to Address the Issue?
In the healthcare industry, there is a lack of reusable options to replace much of the disposable equipment. However, there are ways to address the issue, such as:
- Proper trash sorting is crucial to prevent soil and water contamination.
- Primary care can play an essential role in avoiding hospital visits, which can significantly reduce the waste generated by healthcare facilities.
- Upgrading hospitals with the latest technology is also an effective approach to reducing energy consumption.
For single-use plastics used in healthcare there aren’t many sustainable options available out there.
Proper trash sorting is key to reducing the overall waste that is produced and contributes more to recycling materials that can be. For this hospital staff will need to be educated and trained on proper waste management and dedicated staff to sort the trash for facilities to accept it and not just inevitably send everything to be incinerated.
The best way to reduce the impact on the environment is to tackle the root of the problem which is to improve primary care and preventative medicine. If we can reduce the number of days people are in the hospital, we reduce the trash and energy used by not having to clean and care for 1 more patient.
Overall, there is not much that can be done to reduce the amount of waste that is generated but we can reduce the impact that healthcare does have on the environment. As newer technologies are implemented in hospitals, we can lessen the overall impact that it has on the environment.
But there are some advancements in being able to recycle more materials even those that are thought to be hazardous can be recycled. Companies like Teracycle have been in the industry recycling things that were once thought to be trash at the end of life. for example, blister packs for pills are not necessarily contaminated so they can be reprocessed into other raw materials.
Conclusion
Reducing energy and plastic use in hospitals is a complex issue with no easy solution. However, it is important to prioritize the adoption of newer healthcare practices that are sustainable while maintaining the highest quality of patient care.
Additionally, we can each do our part in reducing our personal and work-related waste to help offset the impact of healthcare industries on the environment. Small but consistent efforts can go a long way in reducing our overall environmental footprint.
Healthcare is ever-evolving and with more awareness of the impact it has on the environment, newer technologies will take this into consideration in their development. Furthermore, hospitals are finding new ways to reduce their cost of operation which is closely linked to energy usage and material usage. Also, hospitals are implementing departments that oversee sustainable practices as it is not a part of medical training to reduce waste. By keeping track of total waste, new changes can be implemented.
Sources
Gibbens, S. (2021, May 3). Can medical care exist without plastic?. Science. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/can-medical-care-exist-without-plastic
Ivanović, T., Meisel, H.-J., Som, C., & Nowack, B. (2022, June 8). Material flow analysis of single-use plastics in Healthcare: A case study of a surgical hospital in Germany. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344922002683
Jain, N., & LaBeaud, D. (2022, October 1). How should US health care lead global change in plastic waste disposal?. Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/how-should-us-health-care-lead-global-change-plastic-waste-disposal/2022-10
Material flow analysis of single-use plastics in healthcare: A case study of a surgical hospital in Germany, Resources, Conservation and Recycling,Volume 185,2022,106425, ISSN 0921-3449,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106425. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344922002683)
