Programs & Initiatives
There is a lot of sustainability work going on here at Carilion Clinic! Review the description of our programs and initiatives below. If you have questions on any of the programs or are interested in participating or exploring options for establishing programming in your facility, please reach out to Marina Sotelo.
Various Facilities Programs & Initiatives
Greening the Office Certification Program
Any non-clinical/administrative sites or ambulatory practices are eligible for the Greening the Office Certification program. Learn more on this program page.
Single Stream Recycling
May not be available at all hospitals. Items that can be placed in single stream recycling containers include paper (with no confidential or patient protected information), boxboard, magazines and newspapers, aluminum/tin (i.e. soda cans), and plastics grade 1 and 2. Items should not be contaminated with any liquid or food on or in them. Unacceptable items for single stream recycling includes plastics grades 3-7, plastic gloves, plastic utensils, plastic bags, chip bags, candy wrappers, coffee lids, paper plates, and anything with food or liquid on or in it. When items are contaminated, it is possible that the entire batch of recyclables will be thrown away so be please be diligent in ensuring items are free from food or liquids before placing it in the container.
Cardboard Recycling
May not be available at all hospitals. To recycle cardboard, place it in the appropriate receptacles at your work location. Please break down/flatten the boxes and remove all contents before placing them in receptacles.
Stericycle
Carilion Clinic has partnered with Stericycle for disposal of our medical, sharps, and pharmaceutical waste. Proper waste sorting and disposal helps prevent harmful wastes from ending up in our landfills and water. Throughout our facilities, Stericycle has disposal containers for non-hazardous and hazardous waste, controlled substances, items to be returned to pharmacy, sharps, and red biohazard waste bags. Help us in our mission to properly dispose of these waste streams by staying up-to-date on the containers used in your work area and utilizing them appropriately. For resources on proper waste disposal, see the Nursing Resources section of the Resources page.
Shred-it
Carilion has partnered with Shred-it to handle secure destruction and recycling of paper that contains confidential information. 100% of paper collected by Shred-it is recycled. Help us to safely dispose of and recycle paper containing confidential or sensitive information by utilizing the Shred-it collection containers in your work area.
Paper Reduction
We can all make an effort to conserve paper by reducing the amount we print and utilizing double-sided printing when possible.Utilize "Print to PDF" when possible to save an email to your computer rather than printing a hard copy and if you must print a hard copy, be sure to check "Print on both sides" when given the option!
Energy Conservation
In some of our facilities, lights are on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In some places, such as lobbies and hallways, that is necessary. However, places like offices, conference rooms, break rooms, storage closets, and empty patient rooms are areas where we have opportunities to conserve energy. If you see a light or television on in a room where it doesn't seem needed, help us by switching it off!
HP Printer Cartridge Return Program
Carilion is a large organization, meaning we go through a large amount of printer cartridges. Luckily, HP allows us to send used cartridges back to them for recycling.When a cartridge is delivered to your facility, it should come in a box that contains a pre-paid shipping label. To recycle, place the used cartridge in the box, attach the shipping label, and send out with your facility's courier. If you need to print a new shipping label, visit this page.
Ronald McDonald (coming soon to all hospitals)
There are Ronald McDonald collection houses at all of our hospitals and at Tanglewood. Tab tops from your soda, beverage, or soup containers can be placed in these houses. The houses will be emptied regularly and the tabs will be donated to the Roanoke Ronald McDonald house. The Ronald McDonald house can then recycle those tabs in exchange for money that is used to support the families of seriously ill or injured children receiving medical treatment in local Roanoke Valley area hospitals.
E-scrap Recycling
Another way we work to reduce the amount of potentially harmful products ending up in the landfill is through the recycling of old computers and electronic waste (known as e-scrap or e-waste). Carilion works with local partners to recycle e-scrap (surplus, broken, or obsolete electronic devices), batteries, cables, and ferrous waste (scrap metal). Follow your facility's process to recycle e-waste. If you are not sure of the process at your location, reach out to Marina Sotelo.
Alkaline Battery Recycling
Recycling batteries saves natural resources because the plastics and metals from used batteries can be used to make new batteries. The recycling process also helps protect the environment by keeping the heavy metals contained in batteries out of landfills and the air. Alkaline batteries, including 9-volt batteries that are properly insulated, can be collected and placed in a designated location for pickup by Stericycle, our battery recycling partner.
CRMH Only Programs & Initiatives
Trex Soft-Plastics Recycling Pilot Program
If your unit generates a lot of soft-plastics in your daily work (supply packaging, cling wrap, etc.), you may be eligible to participate in the Trex Soft-Plastics Recycling Pilot Program. To learn more, visit this page.
5 West Clothes Closet
Many patients on 5 West are in need of clothing when they leave the hospital due to their social situations. If a patient (any unit in CRMH) leaves clothing behind, the unit will complete their unit's process to attempt to contact the patient to return the clothing to them. If unsuccessful, or the clothing is not wanted by the patient, the unit should place the clothes into patient belonging bags and deliver them to the 5 West nurses station. The items will then be laundered and added to the clothes closet.
Acceptable items: shirts, pants and socks (t-shirts and sweatpants are ideal)
Non-acceptable items: shoes, undergarments. Jewelry or electronic items should be taken to security.
Nursing Unit Programs & Initiatives
Mission Donation Program
Our Mission Donation program gives supplies a second chance at life by providing a process for unopened and uncontaminated supplies that cannot be returned to inventory to be donated for distribution across the globe for use by those in extreme poverty as well as those facing the aftermath of natural disasters. Participating units have a collection bin in which they place items to be donated. Sustainability department team members empty these bins on a regular basis and then pack and ship donated items to our partner, Gleaning for the World. This program helps reduce perfectly good supplies from being disposed of.
Supply Waste Reduction
Supply waste can occur in many different ways and is an important priority of the Efficiency & Sustainability department because excess supply waste leads to an increase in both costs and the amount of items being sent to the landfill. Supply waste reduction projects involve a partnership between the units and the Sustainability department to identify the cause of waste and to implement solutions to help reduce excess supply waste.
Linen Efficiency
Similar to supply waste, linen waste leads to an increase in cost and an increase of clean, unused linens being unnecessarily laundered. Linen efficiency projects involve a partnership between the units and the Sustainability department to identify areas of linen waste and their causes and implementing to solutions to reduce this waste.
Reprocessing
Single-use medical device reprocessing is the disinfection, cleaning, remanufacturing, testing, packaging, and labeling a used medical device to put it into service again. Here at Carilion we reprocess many products including pulse oximeters, SCD sleeves, MATS, foot cuffs, ECG leads, and some surgical equipment. If you need signage to add to your collection containers, see the Nursing Resources section on the Resources page.
