Most hospitals are collecting 40 percent or less of what could be recycled, a recent study found, but progress is being made, according to an article on the FacilityCare website.
The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth, conducted the survey to establish a baseline of current plastics recycling activity in hospitals.
The cafeteria is where the most plastic is recycled, but patient care areas are catching up.
The survey identified the biggest challenges to recycling healthcare plastics as difficulties identifying which materials can be recycled, space limitations in both clinical settings and waste disposal areas, and finding a recycler to take the collected plastics, the article said.
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