The ability to track and measure waste prevention by industry sector can be challenging for several reasons. The number of beds that are certified, operational or occupied varies among hospitals and over time for individual hospitals and the quantity and composition of solid waste varies dramatically among hospitals, according to The New York City Medical Waste Management Study . Hospitals have made significant strides in decreasing the quantity of waste classified as RMW since 1990. The decrease is attributable to the wide-scale implementation of packaging reduction and to the removal of I.V. bags and tubing from the RMW stream. Hospitals normally dispose of 80 to 100 percent of laboratory, operating room, emergency room and pathology waste as RMW and most waste prevention programs do not target these functional waste-generating categories.
Hospitals use a variety of approaches to manage their waste.
Today, many hospitals have implemented source-segregation programs for recyclables, primarily paper and corrugated cardboard. Some hospitals also segregate metal, glass and plastic, primarily from food service operations. The cost of cleaning and distributing reusable items. Space constraints for reprocessing and storage of reusables. Increased clinical staff time requirements for using some reusable items.