P2: Health Care Facilities

Health care facility operations generate wastes from office/administration, retail (e.g., pharmacies, flower/gift shops), food services, landscaping, laboratories, patient rooms, janitorial, building and vehicle maintenance – in other words most of the wastes generated by a small community. In addition, the special functions of health care facilities can involve some materials of concern, including toxic cleaners, pharmaceutical waste, biohazardous waste, mercury containing equipment, and PVC products. In most cases, reducing waste in health care facilities will result in significant cost reductions.

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, (H2E) is one of the nation's premier sources for pollution prevention opportunities for healthcare facilities. Some of their information is included in the recommendations below. We encourage you view the H2E website, which provides practical tools and resources, including upcoming teleconferences, to reduce costs and facilitate environmental sustainability in the healthcare industry. Other resources are provided in the Health Care Resources section.

Another comprehensive resource is the Healthcare Environmental Resource Center, which provides detailed compliance information as well as pollution prevention opportunities.

The following links sections provide general strategies and benefits to implementing a P2 plan for health care facilities:

• Health Care Maintenance
• Health Care Purchase and Inventory
• Health Care Material and Waste Storage
• Health Care Energy Efficiency
• Health Care Basic Operations
• Health Care Material Substitution
• Health Care Recycling and Waste Exchange
• Health Care Process Change
• Health Care Resources

Be sure to review the general information in P2 Business Basics.

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