Case Study: Recycling Pilot for Non-Hazardous Medical Plastic Waste

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 8, 2024 / The medical plastic waste recycling pilot brought together B. Braun Medical Inc. (a medical device manufacturer of smart-infusion therapy and related products), Lehigh Valley Health Network (a nationally ranked premier health system based in Allentown, Pa.) and PureCycle Technologies LLC (an advanced recycler of plastic) to evaluate and evolve the concept of health care medical plastic recycling. PureCycle Technologies focuses on the recovery and recycling of polypropylene (PP), the targeted material for this pilot. Also engaged in this pilot were Cougle's Recycling, Inc. of Hamburg, Pa., a material recovery facility (MRF) in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, and Kurt Duska Consulting of Girard, Pa., a plastics recycling industry expert and primary author of this report.

The goal of the pilot was to identify barriers to increasing nonhazardous medical plastic recycling rates at health care providers by instituting a collection and processing program aligned with the quality requirements of an advanced plastics recycler in the region. This effort was enabled by a grant from Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services.

The report offers insights into the collection logistics, material analysis process, and the key findings and takeaways, including a checklist to help determine if you are ready to start a recycling program at your healthcare facility.

Objectives:

The objective of the medical plastic waste recycling pilot is to identify barriers to increasing non-hazardous medical plastic recycling rates at healthcare providers. This must take into consideration the impact on health care services, safety to employees, cost, and total environmental impact. According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), U.S. hospitals generate about 28 million pounds of waste a day, with 20-25 percent of that being plastic products and packaging. Only a small percentage of plastics are recycled today. Plastic recycling at hospitals is less than 10%, which fills landfills, wastes natural resources, and increases carbon emissions.

Material Observations

• A total of approximately 18,000 lbs of materials were collected.
• Bags that were collected with a high concentration of blue wrap were much cleaner, with a higher percentage of target materials and a lower percentage of non-target waste items. Bag quality was likely impacted by collection area and medical procedures.
• A high percentage of non-target materials in mixed bags required increased transportation, sorting costs, and potential disposal fees.
• Paper fiber materials such as corrugated and paperboard were often included in bags, which drastically influenced costs and efficiency.
• The program met PureCycle Technology's minimum acceptable quality standard of 75% target plastic.

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