Hospitals

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) has released guidelines intended to help product and packaging designers improve the recyclability of disposable plastic products. “Design Guidelines for Optimal Hospital Plastics Recycling” was produced by HPRC’s technical working group, which comprises technical experts from HPRC members BD, Cardinal Health, DuPont, Engineered Plastics, Hospira, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, and Waste Management. (Three new members that joined this past fall--Baxter, Eastman, and Philips--participated in reviews.)

According to research by the American Plastics Council, hospitals generate 12 million pounds of waste each day. About 15−20% of this waste is plastic, and surprisingly, most of that waste is free of contamination, reports Roseann Salasin, global marketing director, DuPont Medical and Pharmaceutical Protection. “The potential for recycling, therefore, is significant,” she says. “Not only do hospitals have an opportunity to lower their environmental impact and their costs, but they also have an opportunity to enable healthy communities.”

Data suggest that use of Medline Industries Inc.'s ERASE CAUTI program has helped Unity Hospital (Rochester, NY) reduce the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. The program features a one-layer catheter tray along with education and training.

Premier Purchasing Partners LP awards Safecor Health L.L.C. (Woburn, MA) a three-year, multi-source agreement for pharmaceutical repackaging services. Under terms of the agreement, Safecor Health will provide Premier members a flexible and comprehensive menu of unit-dose and bar-coded repackaging services geared toward each client's unique packaging needs and medication safety initiatives.