Providence Health & Services–Oregon, Portland, operates a waste-recycling facility that separates waste from six hospitals and employs developmentally disabled staff, according to an article on the Health Facility Management website.
The level of waste the healthcare network diverts from landfills has been estimated at 3,000 tons over the past five years.
Six hospitals in the network ship their recyclables to a former warehouse converted to a waste-separating facility.
The staff of 10 developmentally disabled persons from a nearby sheltered workshop program sort through an average of 5,700 pounds of commingled materials that are separated into different streams for shipment and sale to local recycling vendors.