Getting Started
Establishing a Waste Reduction Program
Establishing a waste reduction program requires a health care facility’s commitment from program initiation through implementation to ensure results. This ongoing support necessitates formal structure and organization to maintain the program, including participation and buy-in from multiple departments. Therefore, it is critical that a multi-disciplinary team be established to provide guidance regarding program goals and objectives, to address waste reduction implementation concerns, and identify additional waste reduction opportunities throughout the facility.
Several management tools should be used to monitor the success of waste reduction programs, including assessments, data collection, and education and training. These strategies provide quantitative data to measure the success of the program and establish objective program metrics that can be used to communicate progress toward goals and objectives.
The following topics discuss these critical factors in more detail:
Learn how to create a framework for bringing decision makers and staff together by forming teams involving multiple layers of leadership to initiate a waste reduction program. Use the step-by-step guide provided to set up a team appropriate for your facility.
Learn how to conduct a waste assessment to determine the baseline conditions of your facility, including the amount of waste generated in different waste categories, current waste management practices, and associated costs. In addition, understand the importance of monitoring the effectiveness of a waste reduction program and communicating the results with personnel to recognize achievements.
Data Collection
Discover the importance of collecting data on waste generation to develop a baseline as well as to track progress toward waste reduction goals. In particular, learn the importance of normalizing data to account for changes in workload and demonstrating cost savings for waste reduction and recycling programs. Finally, use the tips provided for both collecting data and using the data to communicate progress toward your facility’s goals.
Learn the valuable role that education and training play in sustaining waste reduction efforts, and read sample training materials. Specifically, learn when to conduct formal education and training programs, how to direct education and training to the proper audience, tips for successful education and training programs, and opportunities that exist for informal education and training, all of which serve to improve the success of your facility’s waste reduction program.
Key Resources
Getting Started as a Facility Partner.
Practice Greenhealth. 2005
Walks healthcare facilities through the basic steps necessary to get an Practice Greenhealth program underway.
Getting Started as an Organizational Partner.
Practice Greenhealth. 2005
An introductory piece for organizations who are committed to helping healthcare facilities achieve environmental improvements while simultaneously looking within their own organizations for opportunities to reduce environmental impact.
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