Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact
Introduction: A waste audit can clarify waste composition and inform improvements in waste disposal, thereby decreasing carbon emissions and reducing costs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a waste audit in the Emergency Department of a suburban community hospital to identify waste content,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-10-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221000389 |
| _version_ | 1819002842111803392 |
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| author | Sarah Hsu Swechya Banskota Winston McCormick Julia Capacci Christian Bustamante Katelyn Moretti David Wiegn Kyle Denison Martin |
| author_facet | Sarah Hsu Swechya Banskota Winston McCormick Julia Capacci Christian Bustamante Katelyn Moretti David Wiegn Kyle Denison Martin |
| author_sort | Sarah Hsu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: A waste audit can clarify waste composition and inform improvements in waste disposal, thereby decreasing carbon emissions and reducing costs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a waste audit in the Emergency Department of a suburban community hospital to identify waste content, estimate environmental impact and explore avenues for improvement in waste disposal. Methods: A 24-hour waste audit was performed in the ED of a community hospital in January 2020. The audit examined all waste generated in the ED during the study period. Waste was collected, manually sorted by predominant material, and weighed. Direct pollutant emissions were calculated using the M+WasteCare Calculator. Results: A total of 255.30 kilograms (kg) of waste was produced in a 24-h period, of which 98.2% was solid waste and 1.8% was regulated medical waste. A total of 1.63 kg of waste was produced per patient encounter. The largest category of waste was plastic (61.0%), followed by paper (18.2%). More than 170 unused items (5.2% of total waste) were identified during the audit, including unopened boxes of gloves, surgical face masks, suturing material, and medications. The audit also identified 418 Styrofoam cups disposed of in a 24-h period, which extrapolates to an estimated 152,570 disposed cups each year. Direct pollutant emissions from waste disposal in the ED were estimated at 304 kg of carbon dioxide per day. Conclusions: This 24-h waste audit in the ED of a community hospital identified waste content, estimated environmental impact, and proposed potential avenues for improvement in waste disposal. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:11:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6a42868713c480dbd06639c517a006e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-2782 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T23:11:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6a42868713c480dbd06639c517a006e2022-12-21T19:23:43ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822021-10-014100041Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impactSarah Hsu0Swechya Banskota1Winston McCormick2Julia Capacci3Christian Bustamante4Katelyn Moretti5David Wiegn6Kyle Denison Martin7Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903Department of Emergency Medicine, Kent Hospital, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, RI, USA, 02886Department of Emergency Medicine, Kent Hospital, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, RI, USA, 02886Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903; Department of Emergency Medicine, Kent Hospital, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, RI, USA, 02886; Corresponding author at: Department of Emergency Medicine, Kent Hospital, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, RI, USA, 02886Introduction: A waste audit can clarify waste composition and inform improvements in waste disposal, thereby decreasing carbon emissions and reducing costs. The purpose of this study was to conduct a waste audit in the Emergency Department of a suburban community hospital to identify waste content, estimate environmental impact and explore avenues for improvement in waste disposal. Methods: A 24-hour waste audit was performed in the ED of a community hospital in January 2020. The audit examined all waste generated in the ED during the study period. Waste was collected, manually sorted by predominant material, and weighed. Direct pollutant emissions were calculated using the M+WasteCare Calculator. Results: A total of 255.30 kilograms (kg) of waste was produced in a 24-h period, of which 98.2% was solid waste and 1.8% was regulated medical waste. A total of 1.63 kg of waste was produced per patient encounter. The largest category of waste was plastic (61.0%), followed by paper (18.2%). More than 170 unused items (5.2% of total waste) were identified during the audit, including unopened boxes of gloves, surgical face masks, suturing material, and medications. The audit also identified 418 Styrofoam cups disposed of in a 24-h period, which extrapolates to an estimated 152,570 disposed cups each year. Direct pollutant emissions from waste disposal in the ED were estimated at 304 kg of carbon dioxide per day. Conclusions: This 24-h waste audit in the ED of a community hospital identified waste content, estimated environmental impact, and proposed potential avenues for improvement in waste disposal.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221000389WasteMedical wasteWaste auditEmergency department |
| spellingShingle | Sarah Hsu Swechya Banskota Winston McCormick Julia Capacci Christian Bustamante Katelyn Moretti David Wiegn Kyle Denison Martin Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact The Journal of Climate Change and Health Waste Medical waste Waste audit Emergency department |
| title | Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| title_full | Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| title_fullStr | Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| title_short | Utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| title_sort | utilization of a waste audit at a community hospital emergency department to quantify waste production and estimate environmental impact |
| topic | Waste Medical waste Waste audit Emergency department |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278221000389 |
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