HPRC to Study Plastic Scrap from Health Care Facilities

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC), headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., has finalized an agreement with Stanford University Medical Center on a six-month pilot study to develop a better understanding of plastic waste characterization within healthcare facilities. According to the HPRC, the study will collect and analyze data related to materials, types, volumes and sources of pre-patient plastic waste at Stanford Hospital and Clinics in Palo Alto, Calif.

“Stanford has been passionately active in plastics recycling within our clinical setting for some time now,” says Krisanne Hanson, director of sustainability, Stanford University Medical Center. “As a healthcare facility advisory board member to HPRC, we are excited to work with them to increase industry knowledge, share best practices and define solutions for other hospitals seeking greater sustainability in this area.”

The pilot study will include data collection in surgical services, as well as interventional services such as catheterization and angiography labs, pre and post-anesthesia care settings and pharmacy.

The study will be fully funded and fully implemented by Stanford University Medical Center with technical support provided by HPRC.