The volume of waste produced in the healthcare sector is epic. In fact, a recently published study in Resources, Conservation and Recycling examined single-use plastic consumption across five U.S. healthcare facilities and found a collective 1,388 metric tons (over 3 million pounds) of plastic waste produced annually. In the study, this number was associated with 4.9 million kilograms of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per year.
While most eye care practices operate on a smaller scale than the facilities in this study, the research offers a useful takeaway: Understanding the sources of waste can help identify opportunities for change.
For practices looking to reduce waste, save costs, and lessen their impact on the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a useful approach to conducting a waste assessment. The goal is to understand the amount of waste generated, examine current waste reduction practices, and identify where reduction efforts could have the greatest impact.
The following is an easy-to-follow guide to auditing waste in the eye care practice based on the EPA’s recommended approach.
Step One: Start with Purchasing Records and Inventory
Look for frequently ordered and single-use products that are used in large quantities. That could include eye care-specific products, clinical disposables like wipes and gloves, and office supplies such as cleaners and paper.
Make note of products that come with substantial packaging—and considering changing those up. Also, check inventory for products that are reordered long before existing supplies run out.
Practices can also consider how often orders are placed and whether purchasing or shipments can be consolidated—Practice Greenhealth reports that more than 70% of health care greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the goods and services supply chain, which includes transportation of goods.
Did You Know? AI and robotics are increasingly being used at sorting facilities to rapidly identify, sort, and extract recyclable items with far greater accuracy than manual labor.
Step Two: Follow the Waste
Next, walk through the practice and observe where materials are used and discarded. That could include shadowing staff and doctors throughout the front desk area, exam lanes, optical, and breakroom.
Pay attention to what repeatedly lands in the trash or recycling bin—and where there could be opportunities to reduce waste, reuse, or recycle. For instance, the Centre for Ocular Research & Education notes that contact lenses, blister packs, and foils may require specialized recycling programs, while cardboard packaging may be recycled through municipal programs.
A waste sort can also provide a clear picture of what is being thrown away. This involves collecting waste over a typical day or defined period and separating it into categories to identify the types that account for the greatest share of the practice’s waste.
Step Three: Turn Findings into Action
Determine what can be reduced before looking immediately to recycling or eliminating products. What is being ordered in greater quantities than necessary, especially products that expire? Could orders be consolidated?
Can products with excessive packaging be replaced with lower-waste alternatives?
The World Health Organization recommends reducing health care waste through more sustainable purchasing decisions, such as choosing products with less packaging, minimizing shipments, using reusable options when safe and viable, and recycling materials such as plastic, paper, and cardboard.
Eye care can gradually work towards a waste-reduction strategy and implementation. An audit can help identify the practice’s biggest opportunities for reducing waste—and provide a starting point for implementing changes that make a difference.