Recycling: a responsible way of Waste Management

One way companies can score high in the sustainability department is by minding their waste. For instance, sustainable waste management is a major category in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) - a set of green building standards that many companies strive to achieve.

So it's good news when an innovative waste management company is there to support such efforts. The Waste Management company provides Healthcare Solutions, a sustainability-focused service for healthcare facilities. The following stories illustrate the way this service works, the types of partnership it creates, and the kind of outcomes it brings about.

Officials at Washington County Healthcare System in Hagerstown, MD asked Waste Management to clear out a 50,000-square-foot warehouse of what they considered to be junk, as the 341-bed hospital prepares to move next year. Instead, the company's staff worked together to recycle, donate or shred what the hospital was going to throw out: floor tiles, lighting, carpet, sinks, shelving, office equipment, confidential documents, and hundreds of stainless steel bedpans.

After one day of clean out in August, four tons of metal had been trucked to a scrap yard and five box trucks of donations had been given to ReStore, one of Habitat for Humanity’s 600 retail building supply stores. The donations are expected to help build a house for a needy family in the Hagerstown area. Another clean out day is scheduled for the third week in October to donate and recycle even more materials.

WH Healthcare Solutions built a similar partnership with New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. The hospital intended to throw away 210 microwave ovens used in break rooms and pantries; instead, the company suggested they be donated to a local charity. The microwaves were given to Goodwill Industries of Greater NY/Northern NJ. As a result, approximately three tons of waste was diverted from the waste stream, the hospital saved $1,000 in avoided disposal costs, and Goodwill gained $5,250 for selling the ovens at $25 each in their retail store.