Surgery generates about one-fourth of all the waste a hospital generates — from clear plastic to blue wrap to white cardboard, according to an article on the Outpatient Surgery website.
Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind., has adopted a clean-waste recycling program for its 29 operating rooms.
Any clean waste from items opened during a case — paper, cardboard, plastic — gets placed in a special blue trash container with a clear liner.
Before the patient enters the OR, the clear bag is tied off and the container is rolled into a semi-sterile area. At the end of the case, the clean recyclable waste gets placed on top of the dirty case cart, which is then transported to sterile supply processing.
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