A new campus campaign to assure that waste is disposed of in the proper manner asks employees to “Think Red, White and Blue.”
The Biohazardous Waste Committee, a cross-campus task force created to study and improve procedures to help reduce waste on campus, is sponsoring the Red, White and Blue campaign.
“We all have a responsibility to the community to be good stewards and reduce waste,” said Rick Boldt, committee member and UNMC Special Projects Coordinator. “By doing so we can save money while reducing the amount of waste we send to the landfill.”
Other waste, such as biohazardous waste is carefully regulated by federal and state guidelines. Biohazardous waste containers must be packaged appropriately before leaving campus docks. Improperly packaged biohazardous waste containers can result in fines running into the thousands of dollars per container that is found to be out of compliance. More importantly, improper handling of waste can result in unnecessary hazards for those individuals who have to handle waste further down the waste stream.
“For the protection of everyone, it is critical that waste gets in the proper container,” said John Hauser, lead, safety operations. “If this does not happen, then there are risks to the folks handling the waste, risks to the environment and risks to our institution. We all must be aware of what we are doing when it comes to waste disposal so we can minimize these risks.”
Campus waste can generally be categorized three ways:
Red (Biohazardous Waste) – includes blood and body fluids and items contaminated with pourable/dripable quantities of blood or body fluids. Biohazardous waste should be disposed of in the red waste bags. Items considered biohazardous waste are laboratory waste, medical sharps and suction canisters containing blood or other body fluids.
White (General Waste) – includes anything that does not fit into other waste categories (napkins, facial tissues, food wrappers). General waste is disposed of by Environmental Services and is taken to a landfill.
Blue (Recyclable Materials) – includes anything currently recycled through the UNMC Recycle Center. Recycling sensitive and confidential paper items is the method used by our campus to meet HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) compliance. Recyclable materials include mixed paper, which is disposed of in the blue, desk-side containers or the large, green rolling containers. All paper, newspaper, magazines, phone books, envelopes, cardstock and books can be placed in the blue containers.
The Recycling Center also recycles cardboard, empty aerosol cans, aluminum cans and scrap metal. Contact the Recycling Center for more information on the proper method for recycling these materials. Supply and Furniture Stores (559-5220) will pick up surplus equipment and printer cartridges.
The Biohazardous Waste Committee conducted an initial audit of the UNMC biohazardous waste stream earlier in 2004, which revealed evidence of inappropriate waste handling. Further evidence to support Biohazardous Waste Committee findings occurred when the campus recyclable waste processor rejected an entire semi-load of recyclable waste. The load was rejected because a medical syringe was found in a bundle of recyclable waste. This is the first time in 10 years (since the campus started recycling waste) that a load of recyclable waste has been rejected. Further rejected recyclable waste loads could result in loss of service from our vendor.
The Biohazardous Waste Committee has developed a waste reduction-training program to help employees better understand proper waste segregation. The brief presentation is available on the UNMC Intranet at the following address: https://app1.unmc.edu/infectioncontrol. The training material has been divided into two programs, one that focuses on reducing waste in the laboratory; the other addresses waste reduction in the clinical area. Anyone working in areas that generate waste is strongly encouraged to review the training material.
The Biohazardous Waste Committee will promote the Red, White and Blue Campaign on Thursday, Oct. 14, by distributing red, white and blue popsicles in the Durham Outpatient Center second floor atrium (near the Cornerstone Gift Shop) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or while supplies last. Visitors also will have an opportunity to check out the displays on proper waste segregation and pre-view the waste reduction training.
The Biohazardous Waste Committee would like to encourage everyone on campus to learn the proper method for handling waste so it is processed appropriately and responsibly. If you have any questions on waste reduction or would like additional information on how to reduce waste in your area, contact:
- Jan Keuchel, chair, Biohazardous Waste Committee, 559-3980
- Lee Sholtz, co-chair, Biohazardous Waste Committee, 559-2154