an lca of disposable vs reusable sharps containers in a
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction•Hospitalsaccountfor3%ofUSgreenhousegas(GHG)emissionswith54%derivedfromsupplychaingoodsandservices.1
•Targetingsupplychainpoints1andreplacingdisposableproductswithreusables2areamongrecommendationstoreducetheseemissions.
•Thisstudyrepresentsa“cradletograve”LifeCycleAssessment(LCA)comparingreusableanddisposablesharpscontainers(RSC,DSC)atalargeUShospital.
Methods
•The850bedNorthwesternMemorialHospitalChicagoIL(NMH),convertedfrompolypropyleneDSC(BD,FranklinLakesNJ)toanABS-resinRSC(DanielsSharpsmartInc,ChicagoIL).
•Usingestablishedprinciples,3,4wedevelopedandappliedalifecycleinventoryandproduct-specific(sharpscontainers)LCAtool.
•Wecalculatedmetrictonscarbondioxideequivalent(MTCO2eq)GHG(CO2,CH4,N20)generatedover12monthsofmanufacture,useanddisposalofDSCandRSCatNMH.
•NMHsupplieddataonDSCandRSCquantitiesandsizesandoccupiedbeds(OB).
•Site-specific,USandinternationalprimaryenergyinputvalueswereutilized.5,6,7
•Energydatawereconvertedusinggrid-specificCO2eqfactorsforelectricityandUSnationalfactorsforfuels.5,7
•UnitprocessGHGwerecollatedinto:Manufacture(resinandcontainers);Transport(warehouse-hospital-plant);Washing(RSC);TreatmentandDisposal(96%DSCautoclaved,4%DSCincineratedforbothsystems;transport;landfill).
•Containercontentswereexcluded.
•TheRSCiscertifiedfor500uses;2%/yraredecommissionedandallpartsreusedorrecycled.
•RSCmanufacturingemissionsweredividedbyanticipatedlifetime-years.3
•TheDSCwerenotrecyclednorhadrecycledcontent.
•GHGwereworkload-normalizedper100OB-yrandrateratioanalysedusingFishertestwithP≤0.05and95%CL.
Figure 2.Reusablesharpscollector
ResultsTable 1. Waste & GHG Comparison: Disposable vs Reusable Sharps Containers
DisposableFC ReusableFC
Containersmanufactured/yr 34,396 2,210(yr1only)
Containerslandfilled/yr 34,396 Nil
Plasticdiscardedtolandfill(kg) 29,200 Nil
MTCO2eqGHGperYr 99.1 20.2*(P<0.001)
MTCO2eqGHG/100Occbed-Yr 17.3 3.2(81.4%,P<0.001)
*Annual, OB-normalizedreductionwithRSC=88MTCO2eq(-83%)
Fig 1. GHGEmissionsbyProcess:Comparisonof12monthsusageofDisposableandReusableSharpsContainers.
Grimmond T+, Reiner S*, Morris J^ and Cullingford T^
+Grimmond and Associates New Zealand; * Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago IL; ^Waterman Energy, Environment & Design, UK
An LCA of Disposable vs Reusable Sharps Containers in a Large US Hospital
Conclusions•Use of reusable sharps container:
•GeneratedsignificantlylessCO2eqemissions
•Providedsignificantreductioninplastictolandfill
•Achievedamoresustainableconsumptionandproductionbysaving88MTCO2eq/yr.
•IfRSCwereusednationallyweestimatehospitalannuallandfilledplasticandGHGwouldfallby18,000tonsand55,000MTCO2eqrespectively.
•Whileasmallfractionofthe115millionMTCO2eqgeneratedbyhospitalsupplychainemissions,1adoptionofRSCisapositivestepinformulatingsustainablehospitalsupplychainpurchasingpolicy.
References1.ChungJWandMeltzerDO.EstimateoftheCarbonFootprintoftheUSHealthCareSector.JAMA.2009;302(18):1970-1972.
2.HealthyHospitalsHealthyPlanetHealthyPeople.AddressingclimatechangeinhealthcaresettingsWorldHealthOrganizationandHealthcareWithoutHarm.http://www.who.int/globalchange/publications/healthcare_settings/en/index.html.AccessedMarch13,2011.
3.BSIPAS2050:2008.Specificationfortheassessmentofthelifecyclegreenhousegasemissionsofgoodsandservices.BritishStandardsInstitution,London,UnitedKingdom
4.USEPAClimateChangeGreenhouseGasEmissions:TechnicalGuidance.USEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/resources/index.html.AccessedMay272011
5.TheGreenhouseGasProtocolInitiative.June2009.http://www.ghgprotocol.org/calculation-tools/all-tools.AccessedFeb25,2011.
6.Eco-profilesoftheEuropeanPlasticsIndustry.PlasticsEurope,Brussels.http://www.plasticseurope.org/plastics-sustainability/life-cycle-thinking.aspx.AccessedJune2,2011.
7.USEPAHowtoCalculateyourCarbonFootprint:Step2CalculateyourGHGemissionsusingtheSimplifiedGHGEmissionsCalculator,July2011.http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/smallbiz/footprint.html.AccessedAug2,2011.
Further [email protected]
DisclosureGrimmondandAssociatesconsulttoTheDanielsCorporation.WatermanwereretainedbyDanielstodesigntheLCAmodel
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