Dialysis Unit: All wrapped up in the environment

[okarol]

    
April 12, 2009
All wrapped up in the environment
By RICHARD LIEBRECHT, SUN MEDIA
   

Some local health-care workers are using their caring hands to help heal the environment.

For the past two months, nurses at the Royal Alexandra Hospital satellite dialysis unit have been helping divert as many as 50 bags of would-be garbage from their unit to the recycle bin.

Service worker Lorraine Focht, 24, said treating each patient on their unit requires them to rip open five or six sterilized packages -- plastic wrapping that is usually thrown away.

Even sealed bags of saline are wrapped in plastic pouches.

"We just looked at all the waste around here and thought it was disgusting," she said.

Focht understands that equipment must be kept sterile, but she and two co-workers -- Cheyanne Kot and nurse Kristy Vanderzee -- didn't see the need to throw the plastic wrapping away.

So, on their own initiative, the three began collecting the wrapping, bagging it and taking it home to be recycled.

There's no recycling program for medical supplies at the hospital, explained Focht.

She said their recycling efforts add up to about two large garbage bags per day.

"It's really not a big deal for me, and I think it's worth it," said Kot, 24.

"It takes a small bit of effort, but makes a big difference," said Kot.

"On the unit, it's no different. We just put it into a clear bag and not a garbage bag."

To avoid risks of infection, the workers said they consulted disease control authorities and do not open the recycle-worthy packages within a metre of patients.

They hope their initiative will catch on with other hospital units and wards across the city.

RICHARD.LIEBRECHT@SUNMEDIA.CA

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2009/04/12/pf-9088851.html

[Bill Peckham]

I've requested an official determination from the city if I can recycle the NxStage dialysate bags. As well as saline and the wrapping the bags come in.

There is no way for blood to contaminate the dialysate bags - it's just not possible but try to explain that to someone who works at the city recycling department. Saline bags - it could happen but it would mean I made a mistake and obviously if I were to make that mistake I wouldn't recycle that bag.

[justatech]

You'll will have to keep me updated to see how and if this works.  Definately alot of "plastic" waste that could be recycled, and as it is from a "medical center" you know they don't go through any of the bags that go to waste control to recycle what they can.