A hospital can be an intimidating environment — a mixture of sorrow and joy fill the hallways. In your lifetime, it might be the place where you become a parent, or you might be there to witness a loved one’s passing. The cycle of life continues inside the institution, and for Knoxville, TN, area hospitals, the revolving door of life and death extends to medical waste as well.
Try to imagine all of the products a hospital uses on a daily basis — bandages, culture dishes, surgical gloves, needles, swabs, lancets, etc. The list seems endless, and often patients need their bandages changed and their medication or blood taken regularly. In 1988, the Medical Waste Tracking Act was enacted to better regulate hospital waste and prevent it from washing up on beaches and causing health issues, but after it expired, the EPA began incinerating 90% of medical waste that was potentially infectious. Of course, there are health hazards associated with hospital waste, but Knoxville hospitals are proving that there is room to go green.
Tennessee’s top eco-friendly hospitals
Covenant Health, University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) and Mercy Health Partners (MHP) are a few examples of how sustainable business practices can be efficient and cost effective. Every year, UTMC recycles an astounding amount of paper and cardboard, specifically 322,000 and 300,000 pounds, respectively. MHP even went as far as eliminating bottled water (except in vending machines), which has prevented 3,900 bottles from going into landfills.
