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Last updated:
May 03, 2001
West Park County Hospital
Address - 707 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY 82414
Phone: (307) 527-7501
Contact - Gene Kelly, Engineering and Facilities Coordinator
Product or Service
Full service hospital serving northwestern Wyoming with 57 acute care beds, 135 long term care beds, and 20 chemical dependency beds
Number of Employees - About 450 employees
Waste Stream Targeted: Paper waste
Summary
- West Park Hospital examined their disposition of shredded documentation and found it could be used as packing material instead of disposing of it as solid waste in the county landfill.
Waste Reduction Activities
- Bags of confidential patient documentation are hauled away to the city landfill in large plastic bags. Other confidential documentation is taken unshredded and buried at the landfill, with the process monitored until completion by a hospital employee. Landfill rates have not been significant expense factor for the disposition of the paper. The MAMTC engineer, upon completing the initial environmental assessment, assisted the hospital in locating an out-of-town box shop which would be able to use the shredded paper as packing material, thus reducing the solid waste disposal into the landfill. The box shop would b responsible for transporting the shredded paper, eliminating the need for a hospital employee to supervise the disposition into the landfill.
Major Benefits
- Reduced solid waste disposal in landfill
- Reduced labor time spent observing disposition
- Positive business and environmental image
Cost Savings
- Not quantifiable. Small cost savings for employee time involved in previous disposition method
Obstacles
- Confidentiality of documentation. Paper must all be shredded before it leaves the hospital
Key to Success in Implementing Pollution Prevention Modification
- Finding an acceptable recipient for the shredded paper
Waste Stream Targeted: Wooden pallets as solid waste
Summary
- West Park County Hospital, a rural, northwestern Wyoming hospital examined the reuse of wooden pallets used to transport supplies to the hospital and found they could be recycled over 80% of the time with the transportation and supply company, thus reducing their disposal as solid waste.>
Waste Reduction Activities
- Wooden pallets bring in various supplies, mostly from the supplier Baxter, including fluorescent lights, other lighting materials, and heavy chemicals used in the hospital, laundry chemicals, lab equipment, diagnostic equipment, refrigerator, IV-fluids, regular health care supplies, cleaning materials and paper products. About eight palleted shipments are received every week. The pallets were sometimes reclaimed by the transportation company, sometimes left by the hospital dumpsters for disposal at the county landfill or use by whomever picked them up. The cost for the pallets was included in the purchase price of the goods and was not immediately identifiable. After the initial environmental assessment was completed by MAMTC, they recommended to the hospital and it was agreed to by the transportation company and the supplier that the pallets be reclaimed and reused whenever possible and that the hospital receive credit for making sure they were recycled. More than 80% of the pallets are now recycled (the remaining 20% are unusable). This reduces the solid waste disposition to the landfill and also increases the recycling opportunities for both the hospital and the transportation company.
Major Benefits
- Reduced solid waste disposal in landfill
- Saved money on purchased goods cost
- Positive business and environmental image
Cost Savings
- Not quantifiable
Obstacles
- Takes more supervisory time to make sure the pallets are returned to the supplier and the transportation company
Key to Success in Implementing Pollution Prevention Modification
- Management support and commitment to pollution prevention efforts
Waste Stream Targeted: Solid waste/biohazardous medical waste
Summary
- West Park County Hospital, a rural, northwestern Wyoming hospital examined their surgical suite disposal procedures and determined that normal solid waste materials are sometimes being disposed of in the bio-hazardous waste containers. This increases disposal costs for the hospital and they have undertaken an Environmental Awareness campaign to help the staff understand how to dispose of the different materials correctly.
Waste Reduction Activities
- The operating suite has separate disposal areas for bio-hazardous waste and normal solid
waste. Normal solid waste can be disposed of at the county landfill but the
bio-hazardous waste must be disposed of in accordance with federal guidelines.
Disposal of bio-hazardous waste costs considerably more than disposal of normal solid
waste because it is taken off site by a disposal firm.
The staff does not always use the correct container to dispose of the normal solid waste and often disposes of it in the bio-hazardous waste material container because it is convenient. The MAMTC engineer recommended and Environmental Awareness Campaign be implemented to retrain the surgical staff on the different uses of the two types of waste containers and proper disposal techniques. By explaining to the staff the economic and environmental importance of disposing of the waste in the proper containers and by asking for their suggestions and help in addressing the problem, the hospital hoped to reduce the amount of bio-hazardous waste shipped off site for disposal and reduce the bio-hazardous waste stream.
Major Benefits
- Reduced cost of bio-hazardous waste disposal
- Reduced bio-hazardous waste stream
- Improved employee participation
- Positive business and environmental image
Cost Savings
- Undetermined because of the newness of the program
Obstacles
- Training staff to put waste materials in proper containers
Key to Success in Implementing Pollution Prevention Modification
- Management support and employee involvement in planning the program and implementing the program are keys to its success and longevity