Hospitals inevitably generate a substantial volume of waste. With industry averages standing at 30 lbs per patient per day, it's clear the challenge is significant. The complex structure of healthcare results in tracking waste across 15 different streams, including everyday municipal waste, hazardous waste, recyclable items, construction and demolition waste, surgical sharps, and even nuclear waste, among others. To put this into perspective, our five primary care hospitals produce almost 18 tons of waste every single day!
Here at Rochester Regional, we are in the process of crafting an efficient system to monitor all our waste streams simultaneously. By doing so, we can identify the areas requiring the most improvement. The issue of waste generation in the healthcare sector is substantial, but we are committed to setting our sights on breakthrough solutions.
We're working diligently to reduce waste production, increase recycling, and convert organic materials into renewable resources.