Issuu

VOL. IX NO. 4

oct-dec 2013

YER201 3 ISS S’ GU UE IDE

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Attention Readers !

KentuckyOne Health – Breaking Out of the Gate with Its New Green Recycling Initiative

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ne of the Bluegrass State’s major health care providers has passed the three-month marker and is heading down the home stretch in its bid to lead the state in health care waste recycling. After months of planning and intense employee training, KentuckyOne Health’s Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in Louisville is reporting one of the state’s first comprehensive health care recycling programs is an unqualified success. “We tried it (recycling) a few years ago. But because internal politics got in the way it never really got off the ground,” admits Julie Freiheit, Green Team Leader for KentuckyOne and Supervisor, Sleep Disorders Center at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. Now Freiheit terms the new green initiative “an amazing program that really works,” and herself as a “facility-wide champion” of recycling. Starting as a “corporate college leadership development program” in 2012, the green initiative was rolled out this past summer, growing to a fullfledged, recycling program involving the entire hospital and several outside partner vendors, according to Freiheit. “It started off as a single program for recycling plastics, paper and metal and expanded into a program encompassing food composting, single stream recycling and specialty waste recycling,” she explains.

By Todd Williams “The hospital had already formed a strong team when it came to recycling and leadership was behind the program as well,” says Barbara Mackovic, Senior Manager of Media Relations at KentuckyOne. “They were already recycling other materials. The team was very interested in being the prototype for additional recycling materials and saving materials from landfills,” Mackovic adds. One of the partner/vendors helping make KentuckyOne’s green program such a success is Sheri Mitchell, owner and CEO of One Sustainable Method Recycling, LLC (OSM). Mitchell is a consultant for the hospital’s program and her firm handles single stream clinical waste (co-mingled paper, glass and plastic) recycling for the facility. Mitchell, who was working with the 298bed health care facility to design its green initiative early in 2013, says training hospital employees to implement the program began in earnest last spring with department-wide sessions. The use of colored and clear bags to differentiate the types of recyclables made it easier for employees to understand where to place waste materials. For instance, she says, red bags were designated for medical waste, black for landfill waste, clear bags for single stream recycling, and clear green for recycled health care plastic such as gowns, shoe covers, masks, tubing surgical drapery and trays. Continued on page 3

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KentuckyOne Health Continued from page 1

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Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers Marsha W. Johnston Todd Williams Sandy Woodthorpe Production & Layout Barb Fontanelle Christine Pavelka Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com For subscription information, please call 440-257-6453. M e d i c a l Wa s t e M a n a ge m e n t (ISSN #1557‑6388) is published quarterly by Downing & Associates. Reproductions or transmission of Medical Waste Management, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Annual subscription rate U.S. is $19.95. Outside of the U.S. add $10.00 ($29.95). Contact our main office, or mail-in the subscription form with payment. ©

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collecting cafeteria customer food waste as well Mitchell explains that she conducted special for composting. clinical training for the separation of the health care “We will need to educate the general public plastics. Single stream trainers worked in separate, to get them to start recycling the food waste. This non-clinical environments. Carts containing will take more effort because they are not food different types of recyclables were wheeled around service workers who work with the program,” to training sessions to show employees how and Martinez says. what to recycle. Once collected and separated by OSM, the In the beginning, only six volunteers from the medical device manufacturer, Stryker recycles hospital were involved in the green initiative. Now single use medical devices like electronics and over 50 people donate their time to the facilitysharps such as scissors, wide recycling program, syringes and other Freiheit says. “By crunching the numbers for similar operating room She notes that although there was some the months of August, September, items. These items are resistance to the program and October 2013 (the first three refurbished, and sold back to the hospital at a at first, the employees are months of the entire recycling discount. The autoclaved generally now onboard for initiative), Mitchell states the and shredded plastics in facility-wide recycling. these items are recycled “There are always hospital diverted 36 tons of as well. some people who struggle waste from the landfill and According to with recycling. But the recycyled another 36 tons, saving Mitchell, the Federal majority are engaged in Food And Drug the program,” Freiheit over $1,726 to KentuckyOne Administration (FDA) notes. Health in the three-month period. requires the recycling of She is particularly these devices. proud of specialty waste In that same period, recycling she collections in five of the lowered the pounds of waste per adds, “Besides,” “there is a very hospital’s 35 departments, patient day by 7.74 pounds.” high recyclability to noting, “We are targeting these devices. They are the departments who expensive and recycling reduces a hospital’s cost produced the most of such waste in the hospital.” of purchasing sharps.” According to Mitchell, the easiest items She explains that the plastics used in operating for employees to deal with were the traditional room equipment are very high quality and thus in single stream items like paper and plastic from the high demand. So processing this plastic for reuse is common areas of the hospital. People, it seems, also very profitable. This recycled plastic sells for were more used to recycling these materials at 45 cents to 65 cents per pound compared to virgin home. plastic that costs between 75 cents to 85 cents per These materials such as cardboard, newspaper, pound, says Mitchell. magazines, plastic bottles and aluminum cans, just “There is a worldwide push for recycling to name a few, are now being recycled by QRS sharps, in part due to the high cost of producing Recycling and its partner, the large waste hauler new devices,” says Mitchell. and landfill operator Republic Services. Republic As with sharps recycling, Mitchell says the trucks collect the hospital’s waste and operate the entire KentuckyOne program is driven by simple local landfill as well. economics as well as a social responsibility for the From the clinical areas of the facility are diversion of hospital waste from landfills. collected the single stream materials and the health So far, she says, the green initiative appears care materials such as blue wrap, urine cups and to be successful. IV bags in one container. These items are later By crunching the numbers for the months of separated for recycling at the OSM facility. Paper August, September, and October 2013 (the first products are separated and sent along to QRS for three months of the entire recycling initiative), recycling. Mitchell states the hospital diverted 36 tons of Food waste from the kitchen and patient rooms waste from the landfill and recycyled another 36 is collected in totes, delivered to the loading dock, tons, saving over $1,726 to KentuckyOne Health picked up by QRS Organics, and then delivered to in the three-month period. In that same period, a local composter where it is converted to mulch. recycling lowered the pounds of waste per patient According to Freiheit, the hospital had already been day by 7.74 pounds. collecting and weighing kitchen food waste to track Mitchell cited some additional statistics that how much discarded food was being generated. It give more details in the recycling effort. was a simple matter to then collect the waste in a For instance, comparing the same three months tote for composting. of 2012 to this year, there was no food composted Kim Martinez, the sustainability expert at QRS, adds that soon the hospital will begin Continued on page 20 OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management

medical waste management

Weaning Off Fossil Fuels -

Health Care Provider Zeros In On Energy Independence

Gundersen Health System is using a combination of energy conservation, and on-site and off-site renewable energy generation — including anaerobic digestion — to meet its 2014 goal of being fossil fuel free. By Marsha W. Johnston

along with Corey Zarecki, Gundersen’s director of Envision, acknowledges that the ambitious project “is not the normal thing you would do as a health system.” But he says Gundersen’s “visionary” CEO Dr. Jeff Thompson and its board of directors see the project as clearly tied to its mission and delivering affordable care. John Ebers, Associate Director of the Facility Engagement and Energy Program for Practice Greenhealth, a Reston, Virginia-based nonprofit with nearly 1,200 hospital members committed to greening their facilities, agrees: “If we truly take seriously the Hippocratic oath, to not do any harm, then not using fossil fuels has to be part of that.” Indeed, in May 2010, the American Heart Association issued a paper declaring that the scientific evidence linking air pollution to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death has “substantially strengthened.” Of its members, which include Gundersen, Ebers says the Midwestern health provider is unique. “In this business, we see tons of companies claiming to be first in this or the first in that, and for me, a lot of it has become white noise, but what Gundersen is doing is amazing. We have companies going out and purchasing 100 percent renewable energy, but at the level of Gundersen — buying wind turbines, and having lots of renewable energy on-site like geothermal, triple EEE windows — nobody else is doing that. And I feel confident saying it, because I think we would probably know!” To b e c o m e Figure 1. Gundersen Health’s Energy Independence Plan

n May 2008, Gundersen Health System, whose 6,500 employees are based in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, announced that it would offset 100 percent of any fossil fuel-based energy generation in 2014. The company projected it would take them only five years to offset all use of fossil fuels, despite having 41 clinics in 19 counties, a 325-bed hospital, three critical access hospitals, and a variety of affiliate organizations, including EMS ambulance service, rural hospitals, nursing homes and a hospice. Gundersen determined to reach fossil-fuel independence by reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency in its buildings, and investing in renewable energy generation — both on-site where feasible and off-site, where the power generated would offset any fossil fuel consumption (Figure 1). “We just said, `We think this is possible, both fiscally, environmentally and healthwise,’” explains Jeff Rich, executive director of Gundersen’s Envision environmental stewardship program. “We needed to live our mission better and saw a cost opportunity for our patients.” Rich,

Medical Waste Management

OCT-dec 2013

energy independent, Gundersen faced the daunting challenge of producing enough renewable energy to equal the approximately 380 million kBTUs it consumed every year. “Our energy goal is to produce more clean BTUs,” notes Rich. “We are attacking heat BTUs because we use more heat.” Its energy bill for all BTUs in 2008 was $5.3 million, and was increasing by approximately $350,000 annually, making it harder and harder to deliver affordable services. In that, Gundersen was not unique. The Department of Energy estimates that U.S. hospitals are 2.5 times more energy intensive than commercial office buildings. This is due in part to the fact that, unlike many other commercial buildings, hospitals must remain fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and provide services during power outages, natural disasters, and other events that would force other facilities to close.

Conservation, Renewable Energy Generation

o ease the task, Gundersen spent the first two years on measures to reduce energy use in its total of 2 million square feet (sq ft) of space. “We reduced our energy consumption per square foot by 25 percent,” says Rich. “This is the one I try to preach because, even if you can’t do renewables, it is the step you can take and make a huge difference. You can save 20 to 30 percent!” Rich notes that 90 percent of its BTUs are consumed in only 6 buildings and campuses in La Crosse and Onalaska, Wisconsin, because they include energy- and heat-intensive hospitals, surgery and data centers. The rest is spread over its 41 other buildings. Two of those six facilities are already energy independent: The two large buildings on its Onalaska outpatient campus, totaling 350,000 sq ft, and its La Crosse facility, comprising four large and several smaller buildings for a total of approximately 850,000 sq ft, including a 550,000-sq ft 325-bed hospital. The Onalaska campus became the first energyContinued on next page

medical waste management Continued from previous page the wood locally instead of using [imported] independent health care campus in the country in natural gas,” explains Rich. “Wisconsin imports March 2012 when it started up a 1.137 MW GE roughly $18 billion in fossil fuels per year, so by Jenbacher engine fueled by conditioned landfill doing renewable, locally sourced energy, like the biogas from the La Crosse biomass boiler, jobs are County Landfill. Under going to the mills here the contract negotiated rather than another state.” between Gundersen and Managing the boiler itself, the La Crosse County Gundersen pays per dry ton Solid Waste Department, because the chips can hold the landfill installed gas up to 50 percent water. collection and biogas “If you pay for half the treatment equipment weight in water, there is no (supplied by Unison value,” he adds. “We can Solutions, Inc.), and a purchase chips on a dry 1.6-mile pipeline from BTU basis cheaper than the landfill to Gundersen’s natural gas.” A sample Onalaska campus. The from each truckload is run biogas is sold to Gundersen. through a moisture content The biogas conditioning analyzer to determine the system treats 350 scfm of dry material weight. Figure 2. Components of Gundersen landfill gas. The generator Other direct use heat Health’s Energy Independence Plan is owned by Gundersen, comes from the 156-well and provides all of the heat and electricity for the geothermal heat pump Gundersen installed 400 Onalaska campus. Electricity not used on-site is feet below the parking garage of its new 433,000sent to the grid. The landfill gas-fueled project sq ft hospital, adjacent to the existing La Crosse accounts for 11 percent of Gundersen’s total heat facilities. By adding nearly 500,000 square feet and electricity consumption (Figure 2). to its infrastructure, the new hospital, which will Since last March, the majority of the steam and open in 2014, set back the Envision project’s heat used by its La Crosse location comes from a progress toward its goal by about 15 percent, but wood waste-fired boiler. Using one 400-kW backadditional renewable energy projects such as the pressure steam turbine, the boiler also produces dairy digesters (see next section) have kept them on 2.5 million kWh/year of electricity, enough to track. Also by incorporating green design elements, meet 38 percent of the company’s entire need. “We the new hospital will use only 115 kBTUs/sq ft have a lot of lumber industry, so we are sourcing versus the average hospital energy intensity of 250

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kBTUs/sq ft. “The biggest piece was the geothermal heat pump, but we also used a wall design to stop thermal bridging, high R-value insulation, thermal window design and occupancy sensors,” says Rich. “We incorporated what we learned from mapping [energy use in our] old buildings.” He adds the new hospital will be LEED certified, though they do not know at what level.

Investing in Anaerobic Digestion

s part of its mix of renewable energy offsets (i.e., generating power off-site to offset fossil-fuel energy used), Gundersen has developed two dairy manure digester projects, which should account for 19 percent of its total energy use. Both in Dane County, Wisconsin, the first digester in Middleton (Springfield Township) is a $14 million, 2-MW complete mix digester with 3 one-million-gallon tanks. Three farms, with a combined total of 2,400 to 2,500 cows, supply manure. “In October we should start filling the main tanks,” says Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “It takes about a month for it to start producing methane, so we should start generating before year end.” The power will be sold to Madison Gas & Electric, one of the several utilities Gundersen works with over its tri-state region. The Middleton digester project was facilitated by a $3.3 million pass-through state grant approved in early May and the county’s formal approval allowing Gundersen’s private ownership and operation of the facility. It features a new 1.4 MW generator and a 633 kW combined heat and power Continued on page 6

www.mark-costello.com OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management

medical waste management

Weaning Off Fossil Fuels Continued from page 5

(CHP) generator that was redeployed from a biogas utilization project that Gundersen ran in collaboration with City Brewing Company in La Crosse for over 3 years. Details of the second digester in Dane County have not yet been released. One of the most important pieces of digester deployment, notes Parisi, is its ability to reduce phosphorous runoff from manure. At Middleton, the solids separation process will reduce the phosphorous by 60 percent. Duane Toenges, CEO of US Biogas, which developed and designed the Middleton digester and will develop Gundersen’s second one, notes that in the first phase, once the solids are removed, the effluent will be processed to capture the nitrogen and potassium and will be used as fertilizer for corn, soybeans and alfalfa. The digested solids will be further processed at the facility’s 390-foot-long composting facility that will be run by local composter Purple Cow, which will manage the operation and purchase the compost. In the second phase of operation at Middleton, adds Parisi, hopefully within a year, new technology will be piloted that should remove 100 percent of phosphorous and reduce liquid content by 70 percent. “In Dane County, we have a chain of lakes that has been challenged because of phosphorous runoff, which results in algae bloom. When you remove that quantity of liquid, it is a huge benefit to our lakes and to our farmers, and helps dealing with manure management.” Parisi emphasizes the positive attributes of these digester facilities: ”The great thing is that everyone benefits: farmers, Gundersen and the County in its effort to clean up our lakes and our air. Also, what separates manure digesters from other renewables is that they operate 24/7; it is a baseload renewable. You know it will be generating power. There is no shortage of manure in America’s dairyland!” Gundersen’s Rich notes that the digester will also provide an outlet for oil and fat substrates from area restaurants. “We’re bringing [them] in to generate more gas,” he explains. “Typically, they have to pay tipping fees to landfills. They pay us a bit, too, but less.”

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A new hospital in La Crosse (left) will operate on 115 kBtu/sq. ft. versus the average hospital energy intensity of 250 kBTU/sq. ft. The hospital is expected to achieve LEED status after its first year of operating. A Gundersen parking garage (above) is equipped with 75,000 kWh of solar photovoltaics.

The Final Stretch

ounting the wood chip boiler, bioenergy/biomass sources will account for approximately 68 percent of Gundersen’s renewable energy portfolio. Its other renewable sources include: two 5 MW wind farms, each about 30 to 40 miles east and west of the company’s headquarters that together provide approximately 12 percent of the total; a 75,000 kWh solar PV on the country’s first LEED-certified parking garage that Gundersen owns in La Crosse, and two solar hot water heater projects that provide most of the hot water for its on-site day care and renal dialysis centers. To reach the last mile to 100 percent fossil-fuel-offset status, Rich says the company will rely on additional conservation projects, such as building envelope changes and retrofits on poor performing buildings. Those savings can be substantial, even for recently constructed buildings. Gundersen’s Decorah Clinic in eastern Iowa, for example, was built in 2006, one of its newest buildings. However, it was built with little attention to energy efficiency. Prior to an “energy check-up” by the Envision team, the Decorah Clinic spent nearly $90,000 a year on energy costs. The team made simple fixes, such as retrofitting lights to more efficient bulbs, ballasts and reflectors and scheduling hot water boilers to shut down on nights and weekends. As a result, the clinic has seen a nearly 50 percent reduction in energy use and about $40,000 in annualized savings. With its new hospital, Gundersen spent 3 percent more on construction due to the energy efficiency components, but that difference should save them, at today’s energy prices, half of the facility’s operating costs, or $650,000/year. “Seventy-five percent of the life cycle cost of the building is in operating, only 25 percent in construction,” he explains. Rich is confident that Gundersen’s energy consumption level will meet its renewable energy production level in 2014 at between 10 and 12 million kBTUs, signaling their energy independence and 100 percent offset status. Overall, he adds, Gundersen will have invested approximately $30 million after grants to reach its goal. A challenging regulatory regime that does not pay customers retail price for energy they generate means Gundersen will have a 7.5-year payback. “If we were in Hawaii or California, it would have been a lot quicker payback, but we are getting savings already,” he explains. “Just from energy efficiencies, our $5.5-million bill is down to $3.9 million. And the on-site stuff, such as the biomass boiler, and heat from the landfill gas, goes into reducing our consumption bar.” Concludes Rich: “Part of what has made us successful is having a goal that is aggressive in the first place. You have to challenge yourself to think outside the box. I mean, running our campus on landfill gas, who’s doing that? There are always problems and hiccups, but we have made some pretty good progress and we are in the believe mode now.” Marsha Johnston is a Washington, DC-based freelance writer and communications consultant, specializing in sustainable development and conservation. This article originally was published in the September 2013 issue of BioCycle, www.biocycle.net. It is reprinted with permission from BioCycle.

MedicalWM_TQ_ad_8.2006_A news briefs

8/24/06

8:54 AM

Page 1

Stericyle Faces Strong Public Opposition in Utah

orth Salt Lake City, UT— Amid loud citizen outcry, an administrative law judge will decide on compliance issues related to the operation of a medical waste incinerator here, according to a Standard.net report. The Illinois-based Stericycle, Inc. has been responding to state regulators and at least two environmental watchdog groups for alleged air pollution caused by its medical waste incinerator in North Salt Lake. The facility, which is permitted to burn 7000 tons of waste per year, has been operating for more than two decades, most recently under a state Division of Air Quality permit granted in 2006. In addition to concerns over incineration operations and emissions, foes have been opposed to the volume and types of medical waste trucked in from eight states. Last May, the DAQ issued multiple notices of violations, including citations for release of cancer-causing dioxins and other pollutants, as well as fraudulent smokestack tests. Stericycle was required to bring its operations into full compliance immediately. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert authorized a study to be conducted to measure effects of the facility on neighboring communities. The citizen’s action group, Communities for Clean Air, has engaged famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich and her team to help it force Stericycle to shut down the facility. The group claims the company has, among other things, failed to monitor levels of dioxins and furans and that it has overstated the safety level of the plant’s nitric oxide emissions. The Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, which represents another flank in the incinerator’s opposition, has asked Stericycle’s customers to boycott the business. The group believes state regulators are dragging their feet on shutting the plant down in a variety ways, such as by conducting irrelevant tests. The doctors argue that air, rather than soil sampling would give a better indication of how much dioxin is escaping from the incinerator. And besides that, the medical waste could be treated chemically or disinfected using an ozone process, they contend. Stericycle’s permit allows the Utah incinerator to release up to 9.5 tons of hazardous pollutants, including mercury and lead, every year. Last July, Stericycle updated the plant’s pollution-scrubbing equipment to meet air quality and testing requirements. “Living near an incinerator, or having your body contaminated with incinerator toxins originating miles away, statistically increases your chance of many types of serious diseases,” said Brian Moench, president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. “We don’t need to wait for a study specific to confirm that.” Stericycle is currently being investigated at the federal level, as well as the state level. Company officials say the facility is currently operating in full compliance with state guidelines. Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, has vowed to introduce legislation in the 2014 session dealing with the waste issue, including the possibility of pushing for a ban on medical waste incineration anywhere in the state.

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Veterans Administration Leads Nation in Privacy Breaches

ittsburgh, PA — Despite established rules and training programs, the number of privacy breaches at Veterans Administration facilities has climbed to the tens of thousands, according to an article on iHealthBeat.org. The article chronicles a two-month investigation by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that found VA workers or contractors have committed 14,215 privacy violations at 167 facilities between 2010 and 2013, making the VA the nation’s leading violator of HIPAA privacy regulations. The Tribune-Review reporter, Carl Prine, found that 101,018 veterans and 551 VA employees have been affected. Whether it’s been accessing and gossiping about patient records, posting photographs of patient anatomy on social media,

faxing sensitive documents to the wrong number or pilfering financial and personal identity data, including Social Security numbers, the VA culture seems to be a virtual breeding ground for disregarding privacy. The Health and Human Services civil rights office “is looking concertedly at systemic issues throughout the VA system with respect to HIPAA compliance.” Prine conducted his research using the VA’s Risk Management and Incident Response Resolution Team report files and made several conclusions. First, the VA lacks accountability, with only one in 365 privacy violations being reported to VA’s Office of Inspector General. “No case related to the VA has resulted in a monetary settlement. Weak safeguards are another issue. In 82

cases, patient information was obtained and/or released without consent. This included patients participating in studies. Finally, a failure to consistently encrypt data, particularly on laptops or other mobile devices, has made thousands of records vulnerable to theft. “There’s quite a difference between unknowingly exposing veterans’ personally identifiable information through network security vulnerabilities and purposefully violating the privacy of veterans,” Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who chairs the House Committee of Veterans’ Affairs, told Prine. “In this case, I don’t know what’s worse: that hundreds of VA employees and managers willfully and blatantly violated veterans’ privacy, or the fact that VA officials have refused to issue any sort of serious punishment in all but a fraction of these incidents.” VA spokesperson Genevieve Billia told the Tribune-Review that the VA “places the highest priority upon safeguarding the personal information” of veterans and uses technology to protect records. She added that the VA takes privacy breaches “very seriously and has established strict guidelines that go beyond what is required by law.”

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uluth, MN—According to a report on DuluthNewsTribune.com, Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center has paid a $15,000 penalty and made corrective changes after the discovery of more than a dozen hazardous waste rules violations. During a routine compliance inspection in November 2012, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency determined that the facility had failed to appropriately manage and dispose of its hazardous wastes, conduct regular inspections and staff training. The auditors also did not find the required contingency plans for minimizing human health and environmental hazards. In response to the agency’s notice of violations, Essentia agreed to pay a $15,000 civil penalty and show that it has completed 15 required corrective actions. Also, as part of the settlement, the health system will complete two Supplemental Environmental Projects, at a total cost of at least $233,240. One project is to install new energysaving heat and ventilation equipment serving its fitness center pool area, which will eliminate pool odors from the rest of the facility. The other is to install motion sensors for lights at nearly 300 stairwell landings, which will activate only when needed.

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Food Waste Containers & Compostable Bags BioBag Ecosafe Zero Waste Jake, Connor & Crew Inc Natur-Tec®

Hazardous Gas Collection Systems Class 1 Inc

Hazardous Waste Disposal & Infection Compliance Services Aristea Sustainability Assured Waste Solutions Badrick Consulting Clean Harbors EQ – The Environmental Quality Company Golder Associates Inc ICP Medical JT Environmental Consulting Kessler Consulting Inc Medasend Biomedical Inc MedAssure One Sustainabile Method Recycling LLC Pharma-Cycle Inc Prime Compliance PSC Environmental Services Quest Recycling Services, LLC Sharps MD Sioux Services LLC Solid Waste Solutions Corp SRI Surgical Stericycle Visionary Solutions LLC

Healthcare Facility Management Services HHA Services Sodexo

Janitorial Supplies & Services Century Products LLC Geerpres Inc Jani-King International, Inc Rubbermaid Commercial Products TL Services, Inc

Laboratory Solvent Recycling Systems B/R Instrument Corp

Light Bulb, Electronics & Battery Recycling Battery Solutions BCS Call2Recycle Dan-Mar Components, Inc Heritage Environmental Services Metal Conversion Technologies, LLC ZRG Inc

Liquid Waste Disposal Systems (Biohazardous) Ansell Sandel Medical Solutions Bemis Health Care Cactus LLC Dornoch Medical Systems, Inc Liquitech, Inc Stryker

Medical Waste Device Recycling Implant Recycling OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management

2013 Medical Waste Treatment Systems (Autoclaves, etc)

The Bell Process BioMedical Technology Solutions Bondtech Corporation Clean Waste Systems ECODAS Honua Technologies The Mark Costello Co OnSite Sterilization, LLC OZONATOR Industries Red Bag Solutions ReGen LLC San-I-Pak Inc SteriMed Medical Waste STI Biosafe

Motorized Carts, Tugs & Lifting Systems Bayne Premium Lift Systems PHS West Inc Red Devil Equipment Co

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

CATEGORY LISTINGS Sanitizing Products, Hand Cleaners & Dispensing Systems

Shredding Equipment

BioMed Protect, LLC Clorox Professional Products CS Medical, LLC Deardorff Fitzsimmons Corp Dial Corp, A Henkel Company Ecolab Inc Georgia-Pacific Professional Germ Pro Products Kimberly-Clark Professional Micro-Scientific® Palmero Health Care Parker Laboratories Proctor & Gamble Professional Disposables Intl (PDI) Resurgent Health and Medical Safety-Med Products Spartan Chemical Co, Inc Sporicidin by Contec, Inc Surfacide UltraClenz Xpedx

Allegheny Shredders Cumberland Engineering Corp MBM Corporation Republic Machine Security Engineered Machinery Co Shred-Tech UNTHA America Vecoplan, LLC WEIMA America, Inc Whitaker Brothers

(Plant-Based & Office Shredders)

Spill Control Materials SorbTech Mfg, Inc UltraTech International

Trade Associations American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) Copper Development Assoc Inc Practice Greenhealth

Waste Tracking & Routing Software

(Medical Waste Collection & Transport) Clear Computing eRouteIt, LLC EZshred Software Imec Technologies Inc PC Scale Inc™ RouteOptix Management Systems Inc

X-Ray Film Recovery / Silver Reclamation AG Medical Systems Inc Arch Enterprises, Inc Commodity Resource & Environmental Inc Pyromet Silver Refiners Rochester Silver Works LLC United DMS of Tennessee LLC

COMPANY INDEX A

American Baler Co Bellevue, OH (800) 843-7512 www.americanbaler.com

1 Priority Environmental Services, Inc Fort Worth, TX (817) 595-0790 www.go1priority.com

American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Chicago, IL (312) 422-3800 www.ashe.org

Aaqua Tools Rancho Cordova, CA (800) 777-2922 www.AaquaTools.com Abatement Technologies Suwanee, GA (800) 634-9091 www.abatement.com Advanced Vapor Technologies, LLC Everett, WA (800) 997-6584 www.advap.com AG Medical Systems Inc Lake in the Hills, IL (800) 262-2344 www.amsstoreandshred.com

Allegheny Shredders PO Box 80 Delmont, PA 15626 (800) 245-2497 Evelyn Jefferson

ejefferson@alleghenyshredders.com

www.alleghenyshredders.com Allegheny Security Grinders are your solution when the highest level of destruction is required. Utilizing our proprietary singleshaft rotary design coupled with screen sizes ranging from 3/8” to 4”, these powerful grinders provide secure dump and run destruction of confidential documents, digital media, plastics and various types of medical waste.

10 Medical Waste Management OCT-dec 2013

AmeriVap Systems, Inc Dawsonville, GA (800) 763-7687 www.amerivap.com Ansell Sandel Medical Solutions Chatsworth, CA (866) 764-3327 www.sandelmedical.com Arch Enterprises, Inc Mexico, MO (800) 835-0478 www.archenterprises.com ARE Industries Wichita, KS (316) 943-5000 www.areindustries.com

Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE) Chicago, IL (312) 422-3860 www.ahe.org

Assured Waste Solutions PO Box 536 Gastonia, NC 28053 (864) 979-2121 Tonya Kraning tkraning@assuredwaste.com www.assuredwaste.com Assured Waste Solutions, and its p h a rm a ce u t i ca l d i v i s i o n A s s u re d Pharmaceuticals, have taken a customer focused approach in designing disposal programs to afford customers the most cost effective and easy solutions on the market today. With their Pharmaceutical Mail-Back Program, customers have a No Contract solution for the disposal of their unwanted Schedules I-V, OTC and Rx pharmaceuticals. Other programs include Return for Credit and RMW/Sharps disposal. See ad on pg 18.

2013 A Continued

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX

Class 1 Inc Cambridge, ON Canada (800) 242 9723 www.class1inc.com

Aristea Sustainability & Waste Management Solutions (917) 362-5751 linda.zengen@gmail.com

B/R Instrument Corp 9119 Centreville Rd Easton, MD 21601 (410) 820-8800 Kathryn Ebling east@brinstrument.com www.brinstrument.com Recycle, Recover and Reuse waste Xylene, Xylene substitutes, Alcohol and Formalin from the Clinical Laboratory to reclaim lost dollars from solvent purchasing and disposal costs. All B/R Instrument Recycling Systems are based on Distillation by Vapor Temperature for quality, reusable solvents. Recycle solvents indefinitely to meet and exceed sustainability goals. Badrick Consulting Portland, OR 97220 (503) 539-8704 Tom Badrick tbadrick@aol.com www.badricksustainability.com Battery Solutions Howell, MI (800) 852-8127 www.batteryrecycling.com Bayne Premium Lift Systems Greenville, SC (800) 535-2671 www.baynethinline.com BCS Canoga Park, CA 9 (888) 286-7188 www.scrapdr.com BD Medical Franklin Lakes, NJ (201) 847-6800 www.bd.com The Bell Process www.thebellprocess.com

Bemis Health Care 300 Mill St Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085 (920) 467-4621 Nancy Steinpreis hcg@bemismfg.com www.bemishealthcare.com “Control Today, Protect Tomorrow” with products that collect and dispose of infectious waste. These include our Quick-Drain Liquid Infectious Waste Management Systems; Quick-Fit Suction Liners and Hi-Flow™ and Hydrophobic Rigid Suction Canisters; and Sentinel by Bemis™ Sharps Disposal Containers. See ad on pg 8.

Bomac Carts 201 Badger Parkway Darien, WI 53114 (262) 882-5000 Cindy Lapidakis sales@bomaccarts.com www.bomaccarts.com Heavy-Duty utility carts are our specialty. From Recycling, Manufacturing, Shipping/ Receiving, Commercial Laundry and Mailrooms, our offering meets a broad range of uses in many industries. See ad on pg 6.

BioBag Palm Harbor, FL (727) 789-1646 www.biobagusa.com Big Dog Shred Bins 12215 Kirkham Rd Ste 200 Poway, CA 92064 (855) 792-4050 www.bigdogshredbins.com BioMedical Technology Solutions, Inc Englewood, CO (866) 525-2687 www.bmtscorp.com Biomist, Inc Wheeling, IL (847) 850-5530 www.biomistinc.com Bioquell Inc Horsham, PA (215) 682-0225 www.bioquell.com

ATTENTION advertisers!

Now is the time to schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in the 2014 Buyers’ Guide Issue. For more information, call Rick Downing at 440-257-6453.

Bondtech Corporation 1278 Hwy 461 Somerset, KY 42501 (606) 677-2616 Angel Aguiar mabel@bondtech.net www.bondtech.net Medical Waste & USDA Waste Treatment Reliable high vacuum autoclave systems processing more medical waste and USDA waste than any other technology. Shredding systems for medical waste and confidential paper. Medical waste containers, autoclavable bags, parts and service. See ad on pg 18.

Cactus LLC Charleston, SC (843) 856-7400 www.cactusllc.net Call2Recycle Atlanta, GA (877) 723-1297 www.call2recycle.org Century Products LLC Greensboro, NC (800) 927-0981 www.centuryproductsllc.com

Clean Harbors 42 Longwater Dr PO Box 9149 Norwell, MA 02061-9149 (800) 282-0058 www.cleanharbors.com Since 1980, Clean Harbors has been providing comprehensive and customized waste management services to hospitals and healthcare institutions across North America. See ad on pg 17.

Clean Waste Systems 3535 Plymouth Blvd Ste 112 Minneapolis, MN 55447 (877) 478-5195 Peter Jude pjude@envirosolutions.net www.cleanwastesystems.com Clean Waste Systems is the designer, manufacturer, parts and service company for its patented, OMW-1000 Ozone Medical Waste Processing System in the United States and foreign markets. Clean Waste Systems specializes in the design and development of ozone-based technologies using Humidizone™ for its sterilization and sanitation processes. See ad on pg 24. Clear Computing Tinton Falls, NJ (888) 332-5327 www.clearcomputing.com

OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management 11

2013

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX

C Continued

Commodity Resource & Environmental Inc 116 E Prospect Ave Burbank, CA 91502 (818) 843-2811 Stacy Aesoph saesoph@creweb.com www.creweb.com

Ecolab Inc St. Paul, MN (877) 927-9726 www.ecolab.com

Heritage Environmental Services (877) 436-8778 www.heritage-enviro.com

Ecosafe Zero Waste Surrey, BC Canada (604) 560-5133 www.ecosafezerowaste.com

HHA Services St. Clair Shores, MI (800) HHA-1140 www.hhaservices.com

EQ – The Environmental Quality Company Wayne, MI (734) 329-8032 www.eqonline.com

Honua Technologies Honolulu, HI (808) 523-3140 www.honuatech.com

Clorox Professional Products Oakland, CA (800) 537-1415 www.cloroxprofessional.com

Compaction Technologies Mendota Hts, MN (877) 860-6900

www.compactiontechnologies.com

Copper Development Association Inc New York, NY (212) 251-7200 www.copper.org Covidien Mansfield, MA 02048 (508) 261-8000 www.covidien.com CS Medical, LLC Creedmoor, NC (877) 255-9472 www.csmedicalllc.com Cumberland Engineering Corp New Berlin, WI (262) 641-8600 www.cumberland-plastics.com

Dan-Mar Components, Inc Deer Park, NY (631) 242-8877 www.dan-mar.com Daniels Sharpsmart Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 546-8900 www.danielsinternational.com Deardorff Fitzsimmons Corp Merlin, OR (888) 582-2700 www.dfcorp.us Dial Corp, A Henkel Company Scottsdale, AZ (800) 253-DIAL www.dialprofessional.com Dornoch Medical Systems, Inc Riverside, MO (888) 466-6633 www.dornoch.com

ECODAS 59100 Roubaix France +33 3 20 70 98 65 www.ecodas.com

eRouteIt, LLC Lincoln, NE (402) 202-2518 www.erouteit.com

Harris Tyrone, GA (800) 373-9131 www.harrisequip.com

Hubscrub Company 880 Page St Manchester, NH 03109 (603) 624-4243 Karl Soderquist karl@hubscrub.com www.hubscrub.com

I EZshred Software PO Box 8 Chesterland, OH 44026 (877) 392-7123 Tiffanie Julian tjulian@ezshred.com Built for shredding companies, EZshred is a simple to use software system to run your shredding business. From scheduling and routing to invoicing and reporting, EZshred gives you time to manage and grow your business. Ask about our cutting-edge handheld barcode scanning, GPS, recycling or medical waste solutions as well!

Geerpres Inc Muskegon, MI (231) 773-3211 www.geerpres.com Golder Associates Inc solutions@golder.com www.golder.com Georgia-Pacific Professional Atlanta, GA (866) 435-5647 www.gppro.com Germ Pro Products Tampa, FL (800) 966-5367 www.germproproducts.com

12 Medical Waste Management OCT-dec 2013

ICP Medical St. Louis, MO (800) 405-3044 www.icp-med.com Imec Technologies Inc Champaign, IL (217) 643-7488 www.imec.ie Implant Recycling Detroit, MI (877) 446-4544 www.implantrecycling.com

JT Environmental Consulting PO Box 141444 Orlando, FL 32814 (888) 583-6826 www.jtenv.com

Jake, Connor & Crew Inc 1644 Highland Rd West, Unit #2 Kitchener, ON N2N 3K7 Canada (877) 565-5253 www.jakeconnorandcrew.com Designed and engineered to exceed the demands of the global waste and recycling industries, our containers deliver the maximum level of strength and protection you need. Unmatched in structural integrity, durability and warranty, no container does more for you. With distribution locations available worldwide, we are “Your Best Friend in Waste and Recycling”. Jani-King International, Inc Addison, TX (800) JANIKING www.janiking.com Jedstock Inc Middlesex, NJ (732) 356-7888 www.jedstock.com

Infection Prevention Technologies, LLC Auburn Hills, MI (800) 359-9855 www.infectionpreventiontechnologies.com

IPS Balers Mfg Baxley, GA (912) 366-9460 www.ipsbalers.com

J.V. Manufacturing, Inc Springdale, AR (800) 678-7320 www.jv.com

Kessler Consulting Inc 14620 N Nebraska Ave Bldg D Tampa, FL 33613 (813) 971-8333 Maureen Schaefer info@kesconsult.com www.kesconsult.com Kessler Consulting, Inc. (KCI) has provided innovative waste solutions for over 24 years with services that include: Waste assessments for hospital buildings, the OR and the ER, waste composition studies, garbage & recycling collection contract improvements, green education & marketing programs, including EPP, and Lean Six Sigma DMAIC projects.

2013

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX

K Continued

PC Scale Inc™ Oxford, PA (800) 962-9264 www.pcscaletower.com

Kimberly-Clark Professional Roswell, GA (678) 352-6207 www.kcprofessional.com

PCM Medical Waste Recycling Pinellas Park, FL (727) 547-6277

Liquitech, Inc Environmental Solutions Lombard, IL (630) 693-0500 www.liquitech.com

Marathon Equipment Company Vernon, AL (800) 269-7237 www.nexgenbalers.com

www.pcmmedicalwasterecycling.com

McClure Industries, Inc 9051 SE 55th Ave Portland, OR 97206 (503) 777-2821 Richard Michael richard@mcclureindustries.com www.mcclureindustries.com McClure Industries, Inc. manufactures over 80 models of Sanitrux laundry, linen and trash carts. Sanitrux are ASTM-E tested and certified Class II fire retardant and meet or exceed all NFPA fire codes. Sanitrux are specifically designed for the tough commercial environment. Medasend Biomedical Inc Garden Grove, CA (800) 200-3581 www.medasend.com

The Mark Costello Company 1145 E Dominguez St Carson, CA 90746 (310) 637-1851 www.mark-costello.com Celebrating 57 years of specializing and providing solutions to the most complex situations that have made us a leader in the waste handling equipment, on-site medical waste sterilization equipment and industrial recycling equipment in the market place. See ad on pg 5. MBM Corporation North Charleston, SC (800) 223-2508 www.mbmcorp.com

ATTENTION advertisers!

Now is the time to schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in the 2014 Buyers’ Guide Issue. For more information, call Rick Downing at 440-257-6453.

OnSite Sterilization, LLC 319 Commerce Court, Suite 103 Pottstown, PA 19464-3478 (610) 495-8214 www.askonsite.com OnSite Sterilization & MedWaste Solutions provide safe, efficient and economical customer focused solutions for medical waste generators. We take a customer focused approach to solving the needs of our clients, striving for a customized solution and staying away from cookie-cutter remedies while solving the very serious issues of treating RMW.

MedAssure Farmingdale, NJ (732) 363-7444 www.medassureservices.com Metal Conversion Technologies, LLC Cartersville, GA (678) 721-0022 www.metalconversion.com Micro-Scientific® Rolling Meadows, IL (847) 454-0835 www.micro-scientific.com

Natur-Tec® Circle Pines, MN (763) 404-8700 www.natur-tec.com NewWay Global Energy Johnson Creek, WI (920) 988-0686 www.newwayglobal.net

One Sustainabile Method Recycling LLC 101 N 7th St Louisville, KY 40202 (502) 561-3404 Sheri Mitchell Osmllc44@yahoo.com www.osmllc.net

OZONATOR Industries PO Box 26030 Regina, SK S4R 8R7 Canada (877) 662-7555 Peter Klaptchuk

pklaptchuk@OzonatorIndustries.com

www.ozonatorindustries.com OZONATOR is the most energy-efficient, cost-effective, odorless, environmentally friendly technology available in the bio-hazardous waste industry. With zero emissions, ease of operation, quick cycle time and low operating costs the OZONATOR is the complete solution to your bio-hazardous waste needs. See ad on pg 23.

PEAT International Inc Northbrook, IL (847) 559-8567 www.peat.com Pharma-Cycle Inc Newport, RI (617) 755-0883 www.pharma-cycle.com

PHS West Inc 11283 River Rd NE Hanover, MN 55341 (888) 639-5438 / (763) 498-7576 Jacob Cummings info@phswest.com www.phswest.com PHS West, Inc. is the manufacturer of the Featherweight® line of custom trash, linen, bio-hazard carts, and the Ergo-Express® line of power drive carts and tugs. Post Medical Inc Alpharetta, GA (866) 330-4845 www.postmedical.com Practice Greenhealth Reston, VA (888) 688-3332 www.practicegreenhealth.org Prime Compliance 4137 Emma SW Wyoming, MI 49509 (616) 893-8243

Palmero Health Care Stratford, CT (800) 344-6424 www.palmerohealth.com

Proctor & Gamble Cincinnati, OH (513) 983-1100 www.pg.com

Parker Laboratories Fairfield, NJ (973) 276-9500 www.parkerlabs.com

Professional Disposables Intl (PDI) Orangeburg, NY (845) 365-1700 www.pdipdi.com

OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management 13

2013 P

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX Continued

PSC Environmental Services 5151 San Felipe Ste 1100 Houston, TX 77056 (800) 726-1300 Larry Whyde larry.whyde@pscnow.com www.PSCNow.com PSC is a leading provider of hazardous and nonhazardous waste and environmental services for the healthcare industry. With a national network of facilities and service centers, PSC provides environmental services to clients from small local healthcare providers, institutions to large, national retail pharmacies. PSC can help you avoid costly fines with a hazardous waste management program. PSC is an approved DEA reverse distributor for controlled substances. Pyromet Silver Refiners 5 Commerce Dr Aston, PA 19014 (610) 497-1743 www.pyromet999.com

Rochester Silver Works LLC PO Box 15397 Rochester, NY 14615 (585) 743-1415 www.rochestersilverworks.com RouteOptix Management Systems Inc 668 Trillium Dr Unit 3 Kitchener, ON N2R 1J3 Canada (866) 926-7849 www.routeoptix.com

Rehrig Healthcare 4010 East 26th St Los Angeles, CA 90058 (800) 421-6244 www.rehrighealthcare.com Combined with a widely recognized commitment to customer service, Rehrig has become a leading supplier to many of the largest and most innovative companies in the world. Now, Rehrig is applying our expertise in secure reusable injection molded containers to help improve the collection of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) and Sharps. Our new line of products offers sustainable solutions for both generators and disposal companies alike. See ad on pg 2.

Quest Recycling Services, LLC Frisco, TX (877) 321-1811 www.questrecycling.com

Red Bag Solutions Baltimore, MD (877) 973-3224 www.redbag.com Red Devil Equipment Co Plymouth, MN (800) 221-1083 www.reddevilequipment.com ReGen LLC 50 CR 1672 Cullman, AL 35058 (256) 796-7898 www.regenllc.net

ATTENTION advertisers!

Schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in the 2014 Buyers’ Guide Issue. For more information, call Rick Downing at 440-257-6453.

Republic Machine 4104 Bishop Lane Louisville, KY 40218 (502) 637-6778 sales@republicmachine.com www.republicmachine.com Republic Machine’s medical waste shredder was designed and built for medical waste specifically to accommodate wet product and keep it completely contained within the machine. It employs a nonwrapping, resharpenable cutting system to accommodate fiber and abrasive glass and includes a torque-limiting clutch to protect the gearbox from heavy metal. Resurgent Health & Medical Golden, CO (800) 932-7707 www.resurgenthealth.com

14 Medical Waste Management OCT-dec 2013

Rubbermaid Commercial Products LLC Winchester, VA (540) 667-8700

www.rubbermaidcommercial.com

Safety-Med Products Burlington, WI (866) 421-3400 www.safety-med.com

Scott Distribution LLC DBA Scott Containers 750 Port America Place #275 Grapevine, TX 76051 (817) 756-6909 Carl Bullard info@scottcontainers.com www.scottcontainers.com Scott Containers is a distributor of large volume PG II rated disposable regulated medical waste containers: Biohazard – Red, Chemotherapy – Yellow Pharmaceutical – White, RCRA – Black Available through all major distribution channels and direct contracts. Call us today to help save money on your medical waste. Security Engineered Machinery Co, Inc Westboro, MA (800) 225-9293 www.semshred.com

San-I-Pak 23535 South Bird Rd Tracy, CA 95304 (209) 836-2310 Arthur McCoy arthurmccoy@sanipak.com www.sanipak.com Since 1978, San-I-Pak, Inc. has been providing technological solutions for managing infectious & solid waste. San-I-Pak has proven to be a critical component of the patient care infrastructure, especially during times of crisis. Contact us at sanipak@sanipak.com or (209) 836-2310 to find out how we can help your hospital become more financially and operationally independent. sBioMed LLC Orem, UT (801) 922-1111 www.sbiomed.com Schaefer Systems International, Inc Charlotte, NC (704) 944-4500 www.ssi-schaefer.us

Sharps MD 1810 S Pinelles Ave Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 (727) 940-5872 www.wastealliance.net

Shred-Tech 295 Pinebush Rd Cambridge, ON N1T 1B2 Canada (800) 465-3214 shred@shred-tech.com www.shred-tech.com Shred-Tech® is globally recognized for designing and manufacturing first-class reduction systems and shredding machinery to cost-effectively meet your waste reduction and recycling needs. See ad on pg 7.

2013 S

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX Continued

Sioux Services LLC 2912 Filbert Ave Reading, PA 19606 (484) 638-1126 www.siouxservices.com Snyder Industries Indianapolis, IN (800) 351-1363 www.snyderplasticsolutions.com Sodexo Gaithersburg, MD (800) 763-3946 www.sodexousa.com

SRI Surgical Tampa, FL (813) 891-9550 www.srisurgical.com Stericycle Lake Forest, IL (847) 367-5910 www.stericycle.com SteriMed Medical Waste Solutions Inc Farmington Hills, MI (855) 783-7463 www.sterimedsystems.com

Solid Waste Solutions Corp Evanston, IL (847) 328-5622

www.solidwastesolutionscorp.com

Solutions Inc 3600 Chamberlain Ln Ste 104 Louisville, KY 40241 (877) 228-2901

www.medicalwastecontainers.com

Living up to it’s tagline, “A World of Waste Answers”, Solutions Inc. supplies customers with unlimited waste handling solutions by offering a large variety of products, including both medical waste and all-purpose containers, disposable sharps options, the SharpsAway reusable sharps system, biohazard bags and boxes, along with medical waste handling equipment, biohazard decals, labels and medical supplies.

SorbTech Mfg, Inc Plaistow, NH (570) 371-8464 www.sorb-tech.com Spartan Chemical Co, Inc Maumee, OH (800) 537-8990 www.spartanchemical.com Sporicidin by Contec, Inc Spartanburg, SC (800) 762-3472 www.sporicidin.com

STI Biosafe 485 Southpoint Circle, Ste 200 Brownsburg, IN 46112 (317) 858-8099 www.stibiosafe.com STI (Sterile Technology Industries, Inc.) has over 15 years of experience in the commercial treatment of medical waste without burning. STI product offerings include units from 300 pounds per hour up to 2 metric tons per hour. STI has engineered products for indoor and outdoor installations. See ad on pg 19. Stryker Kalamazoo, MI (269) 385-2600 www.stryker.com SunWize Technologies Inc San Jose, CA (866) 476-9493 www.sunwize.com Surfacide Naperville, IL (630) 861-9000 www.surfacide.com

ATTENTION advertisers!

Now is the time to schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in the 2014 Buyers’ Guide Issue. For more information, call Rick Downing at 440-257-6453.

Tecni-Quip Carts 960 Crossroads Blvd Seguin, TX 78155 (800) 826-1245 Jobeth Reilly tqcarts@tqind.com www.tqind.com TECNI-QUIP is a Cart Manufacturer, offering standard models and custom capabilities for the collection of: Waste, Biohazardous and Recycling. Models are available in Fiberglass, Stainless or Aluminum. Please visit our website at www.tqind.com or call 800-826-1245. See ad on pg 7. TL Services, Inc Van Buren, AR (877) 474-7227 www.tlservices.com

UNTHA America 5 Merrill Industrial Dr Hampton, NH 03842 (603) 601-2304 Bernhard Mueggler Bernhard.mueggler@untha-america.com

www.untha-america.com For over 30 years, UNTHA has been an international leader in mechanical size reduction for the recycling industry. Our advanced and proven technology as well as a wide range of single, dual and four shaft shredding systems enable us to provide cost-efficient, flexible, custom shredding solutions for virtually any commercial and industrial application. UVAIRx Inc Centennial, CO (303) 327-5355 www.uvairx.com

Toter Inc Statesville, NC (800) 424-0422 www.toter.com TRU-D LLC Memphis, TN (800) 774-5799 www.tru-d.com

UltraClenz Jupiter, FL (800) 931-8911 www.ultraclenz.com UltraTech International Jacksonville, FL (800) 764-9563 www.spillcontainment.com United DMS of Tennessee LLC 3006 E Industrial Pkwy Knoxville, TN 37921 (865) 637-2560 www.uniteddms.com

Vaportek W226 N6339 Village Dr Sussex, WI 53089 (800) 237-6367 Carol Abrahamson info@vaportek.com www.vaportek.com Vaportek odor-control products were first used in cancer wards and have been safely eliminating odors in hospitals, veterans care facilities, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and other medical settings since 1979. Environmentally preferable dry vapor systems rely on natural essential oils to eliminate difficult odors quickly and effectively. Made in the U.S.A.

OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management 15

2013

BUYERS ’ GUIDE

COMPANY INDEX

V Continued

Vecoplan LLC PO Box 7224 High Point, NC 27264 (336) 861-6070 Bob Gilmore info@vecoplanllc.com www.vecoplanllc.com Vecoplan engineers, manufactures, and provides parts & service on a range of shredders and systems for processing medical waste, destroying confidential records, and recycling scrap. An integral component in turnkey waste sterilization systems, our machines are used to shred sharps, textiles, plastics, and for red bag processing. AAA NAID compliant for secure destruction of paper, film, disks, and hard drives. See ad on pg 16.

Visionary Solutions LLC Knoxville, TX (865) 482-8670 www.vs-llc.com

Whitaker Brothers Rockville, MD (800) 243-9226 www.whitakerbrothers.com

ZeroWaste Energy Systems Kleinburg, ON Canada www.zwes.ca ZRG Inc Carlsbad, CA (760) 438-8835 www.zrginc.com

Xenex Healthcare Services LLC San Antonio, TX (800) 553-0069 www.xenex.com Xpedx Loveland, OH (888) 973-3976 www.xpedx.com

WEIMA America, Inc 3678 Centre Circle Fort Mill, SC 29715 (888) 440-7170 info@weimaamerica.com www.weimaamerica.com For more than 25 years WEIMA has remained focused on the art of shredding and briquetting. We are passionate about improving these technologies. We invite you to profit from this growing wealth of knowledge and experience by specifying a WEIMA solution to your next challenge - the WEIMA team is ready. See ad on pg 19.

ATTENTION advertisers!

Now is the time to schedule your 4-color logo/photo listing in next year’s Buyers’ Guide Issue. For more information, call Rick Downing at 440-257-6453.

Multi-Tasking! Vecoplan’s Universal Shredders Pull Double Duty! IT’S A MEDICAL WASTE SHREDDER... • • • • •

Vecoplan has years of med-waste experience developing systems used in hospitals world wide for red bag processing Use as the first or last step in your med-waste treatment system Shreds sharps and other tough materials Shreds to an unrecognizable consistency Turnkey medical waste sterilization systems

...AND A SECURE DESTRUCTION SHREDDER... • • • •

The same Vecoplan med-waste shredders have also been used for years for confidential data destruction. Gain control of HIPAA compliance and costs by “in house” destruction of records, disks, drives and other media Vecoplan shredders are AAA NAID compliant Vecoplan shredders are currently being used in hundreds of secure destruction operations

...ALL IN ONE!

Hydraulic Ram Auto-Feeds Material to the Cutting Rotor

Low Speed, High Torque Single Cutting Rotor

Phone: (336) 447-3565

www.vecoplanllc.com vecoplanllc.com Download The Free

Large Hopper

App To View More

16 Medical Waste Management OCT-dec 2013

Consistently Sized, Unrecognizeable Particles

Mind Reader Logic Controls Adjust Material Feed, Ram Direction and Feed Speeds

healthcareservices@cleanharbors.com www.cleanharbors.com

OCT-dec 2013â€‰ Medical Waste Management 17

news briefs

CA Court fines Rite Aid $12.3 Million for Improper Handling of Waste

tockton, CA—A San Joachin County Superior Court Judge ruled that retail giant, Rite-Aid Corporation must pay $12.3 million for failing to properly manage waste products from its California stores. Judge Linda L. Lofthus’ decision follows litigation filed against the drugstore chain in September by district attorneys of San Joaquin, Los Angeles and Riverside counties. The civil suit alleged that Rite Aid improperly managed, transported and disposed of hazardous waste at hundreds of its California stores and distribution centers for more than six years. Local environmental health agencies began investigating Rite Aid facilities in 2009. Site inspections revealed improper handling of hazardous waste, including pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter medications, bleaches, photo processing chemicals, pool chlorine and acids, pesticides, fertilizers, batteries, electronic devices, mercury containing lamps, paints, lamp oils and other ignitable liquids, aerosol products, oven cleaners and various other cleaning agents, automotive products, and other flammable, reactive, toxic and corrosive materials. The investigators found the waste in trash compactors, dumpsters, drains, sinks, toilets, Rite Aid facilities, and landfills or transfer stations not authorized to receive hazardous waste. Training, reporting, recordkeeping, documentation and transport irregularities were noted, as well. Prosecuting attorneys based their litigation on noncompliance with California’s hazardous waste, medical waste, hazardous waste transportation and hazardous materials release response laws and implementing regulations. The company has agreed to pay the fine, keep its hazardous waste in segregated, specially labeled containers and work with state-registered haulers to discard it, as well as strengthen its employee training and hazardous materials oversight. The chain will also use a computerized scanning system to help manage the dangerous materials.

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news briefs

Hackensack Hospital Shrinks Its Carbon Footprint

ackensack—Every month about 18,000 pounds of food scraps at Hackensack University Medical Center get digested – by a waste digestion machine, according to an article on NJ.com. Kyle Tafuri, sustainability coordinator for the Dierdre Imus Environmental Health Center at the hospital says that the cafeteria’s recycling program began slowly. “When we first started with that recycling station, our recycling rate was around 14 percent,” he said. “Now our recycling rate is around 30 percent.” Food scraps that get emptied into the machine combine with a proprietary brew of wood chips, liquid and micro-organisms inside the processor. The scraps are agitated and “digested” at a rate of almost 100 pounds an hour and then are drained away as nutrient-rich grey water, which safely enters the public sanitary sewer system for further treatment. The digester, made by a Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. company called BioHitech, turns every 400 pounds of food into about 100 pounds of water. Diverting the food waste from a landfill has saved the hospital $80 a ton in tipping costs. Mark Buonanno, director of operations for BioHitech says that hospitals are among the company’s fastest growing customer segments. Other big customers are universities, prisons, hotels, supermarkets and other high producers of organic waste. In addition to the food waste program, Hackensack UMC is reducing its carbon footprint by switching to biodegradable cups and plates in its cafeterias and turning over its used cooking oil to a locality which makes it into biodiesel to fuel the town’s trucks. The hospital is using patient electronic medical records to customize meals and avoid food waste. The nutritionists can review diet restrictions and offer patience choices on the menu that are already loaded into the program.

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news briefs

Kansas Aims to Reduce HAI

opeka, KS—Two Topeka hospitals are at the forefront of a Kansas state program aimed at significantly reducing healthcare acquired infections (HAI), according to an article on cjOnline.com. Hospital administrators at St. Francis Health and Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center point to preventive guidelines and improved hygiene practices, along with being able to share information on a new state program that collects infection statistics as roads to success. The Kansas program collected national data from 2006 to 2008 for its statistical baseline, thus allowing the state to develop a predictive model, says director of the state Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics, Charlie Hunt. The most recent year for Kansas-collected data is 2011. Hunt says it shows the Topeka hospitals are right on track to reduce common healthcareacquired infections – those related to catheters and intravenous lines. By 2013, catheter-related infections had decreased by 25 percent and intravenous lines by 50 percent compared to the baseline. Joseph Scaletta, who directs the healthcare-associated infections program for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, notes the increased interest in finding and also sharing information. There’s been a steady flow of requests for information about infection control, ranging from cleaning procedures questions to advisement related to facilities planning, he says. The most common types of infections are urinary tract infections in people using catheters, bloodstream infections in people using an intravenous line, surgical site infections, pneumonia in people using ventilators and Clostridium difficile (C. diff), an intestinal bacterial infection that causes severe diarrhea and resists most antibiotics. The state’s ultimate goal is to avoid the complications caused by HAI – patient suffering and escalating treatment costs. According to the Centers for Disease Control, treatment costs are in the billions of dollars.

Clean Harbors Expands Oil Re-refining with Evergreen Acquisition

orwell, MA—According to a report on Bizjournals.com, Clean Harbors, Inc. has acquired the bankrupt Evergreen Oil, Inc., a California-based environmental services company, in a $60 million transaction. Evergreen Oil is one of California’s largest waste oil collectors, running the only re-refinery in a state that has offered attractive incentives for that type of business. When the transaction is complete, Clean Harbors will have harnessed an asset that significantly expands its reach beyond the Midwest and Canada to Western United States. Evergreen will lower oil re-refining costs for Clean Harbor’s Safety-Kleen subsidiary while complementing and strengthening the parent company’s integrated capabilities. In a news release, Clean Harbors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alan S. McKim, said: “We believe that we are purchasing this asset at a favorable price for our shareholders. While we plan to invest some capital into the re-refinery to enhance its layout and productivity, the [Evergreen] plant is relatively new, with major portions of it having been rebuilt following a fire at the facility in 2011. In addition to the re-refinery, the purchase includes rolling stock and equipment, a diverse roster of West Coast customer accounts, an ancillary hazardous waste business and a treatment, storage and disposal facility (TSDF) in Carson, California. .” Through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, Clean Harbors also is a premier provider of used oil recycling and re-refining, parts washers and environmental services for the small quantity generator market.

KentuckyOne Health – Breaking Out of the Gate with Its New Green Recycling Initiative

KentuckyOne Health has had great success with its new recycling program. Over 73 tons have been either diverted from the landfill or recycled in August, September and October 2013. Here, pharmacy employees Robbie Lafollette-CPhT, Virginia Ludwig-CPhT, Liane Evans-CPhT and Marsha Stansell- Pharm.D in its Louisville hospital show some of the types of materials recycled in their department. Photos courtesy of KentuckyOne Health.

Continued from page 3 compared to over 10 tons in the same period this year. Last year there was no single stream recycling, while for the latest three-month period there were over 20 tons diverted. In 2012 nearly 18 tons of clinical plastics ended up in the landfill, while in the same period this year that was cut to a little over 12 tons. In 2012 no patient specialty waste was diverted from the landfill compared to nearly seven tons this year. Mitchell and her green team are now predicting that if all efforts go as well as they have this year, KentuckyOne can divert up to 20 percent more materials from the landfill over the next 12 months, or nearly 300 tons at the current rate. She notes this is equivalent to preventing 816 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. This is equivalent to planting 20,000 seedling trees and letting them grow over a 10-year period. The key to this continued success says QRS’ Martinez, is planning. “We learned a lot in setting up this program. A major key to our program is listening to feedback from the employees. Feedback keeps

20 Medical Waste Management OCT-dec 2013

the momentum going. The program is designed to change as we get new ideas,” she notes. All involved in the new green program agree that in addition to employee involvement, success can also be attributed to a close working relationships between all parties involved. “Partnering between ORS, OSM, Republic and KentuckyOne has made this program work and will continue to do so,” Martinez adds. What’s next in recycling for KentuckyOne Health? Freiheit notes that the health care system’s Lexington hospital has been in touch with its Louisville counterpart about starting its own green initiative. Freiheit has advice for hospitals considering recycling. “Our biggest struggle was underestimating how long this program would take to get off the ground. For those hospitals contemplating going green, build in a long time line to get started. Employees are willing to go green. There just has to be enough time to do it,” Freiheit says.

Product/Equipment Profiles

Clean Waste Systems Introduces OMW-1000 for Treating Regulated Medical Waste

Rehrig Healthcare Introduces SharpsTank® Reusable Sharps Container

l e a n Wa s t e S y s t e m s ‘Ozone Medical Waste System’, the OMW-1000 is able to shred and treat regulated medical waste: red bag, pathological, and sharps in a self contained all enclosed system. This recently Patented Technology uses ozone to treat and sterilize medical waste reducing the need to incinerate or the probability of toxic waste to landfills. The OMW-1000 was recently approved for commercial use in the State of California by the CA Department of Health as an Alternative Medical Waste Treatment Technology. The OMW-1000 system uses a sophisticated continuous feed system, rather than, a traditional batch feed system, which is unique to the marketplace. Users simply roll an entire 1-cubic yard cart of waste into the unit and push the start button. The OMW-1000 system empties a cart, sets it back down, and immediately is ready for the next waste cart to process. This allows OMW-1000 users to process more waste. Visit www.CleanWasteSystems.com for more information regarding this breakthrough technology.

Xenex Introduces UV-C Technology for Room Disinfection

n affordable new room disinfection technology from Xenex Disinfection Services has been clinically proven to destroy deadly pathogens such as C.diff, MRSA and VRE. The Xenex robot uses a pulsed xenon lamp to emit germicidal ultraviolet light. Within a 5-10 minute cleaning cycle per room, this intense, broad-spectrum light destroys viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores. The robotic device produces ultraviolet C (UV-C), which penetrates the cell walls of bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus and spores, causing the pathogens’ DNA to fuse instantly, rendering them unable to reproduce or mutate. Without contact or chemicals, the Xenex robot’s pulsed xenon light kills harmful microorganisms safely and effectively. Many hospitals using Xenex’s germ-zapping robots are reporting fewer hospital acquired infections. Xenex provides a clinically-proven, green and cost-effective method for the disinfection of healthcare facilities. For more information contact Xenex at 800-553-0069 or visit our website at www.xenex.com.

ehrig Healthcare, a division of Rehrig Pacific Company, recently announced that its SharpsTank® Reusable Sharps Container Model TS received Food and Drug Administration approval to market the device as an FDA 510(k) cleared Class II medical devices subject to the general controls of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The SharpsTank Model TS reusable container is designed to be used for the disposal of used medical sharps by healthcare workers in hospitals, clinics, physician offices, dental offices, laboratories, veterinary offices, and other areas where sharps disposal is needed. It is a 4.9 gallon reusable sharps container with an integrated hinged lid, a restrictive mail chute and flusher insert. The container is supplied to the customer fully assembled. All device components are injection molded using polycarbonate plastic. Various accessories (to aid handling) are also available. For more information, contact: Jack Weber, National Sales Manager, 323-415-5540, jweber@ rehrigpacific.com or visit www.rehrigpacific.com.

PEAT International Commissions Plasma Thermal Waste-to-Energy System in China

E A T International, Inc., (“PEAT”) a manufacturer of plasma-thermal waste destruction systems, recently a n n o u n c e d the successful commissioning of a Plasma Thermal Destruction and Recovery (“PTDR”) system in Shanghai, China. The 60 kg/hr system - designed for medical waste and oil refinery sludge - was installed for Abada Plasma Technology Holdings, Ltd. - an Asian-based renewable energy project developer. PEAT’s PTDR “single-stage” plasma-thermal process transforms hazardous waste through molecular dissociation at 1,500°C (2,732°F) into recoverable, non-toxic endproducts, synthetic gas and heat (sources for energy recovery), metals and a vitrified glass matrix. PTDR systems are in operation in California, Taiwan and China. For more information, visit www.peat.com/ chinasystem for a video of operations and acceptance test run data.

OCT-dec 2013 Medical Waste Management 21

news briefs

Detroit Company Investigated for Storing Medical Waste

Medical Waste Incineration on Hold in Suwannee County

Indiana Medical Waste Facility Uses Ozone Sterilization

Scientists to Seek New Approaches to C.diff Control

etroit, MI—Complaints of illness from workers at businesses nearby a southwest Detroit warehouse that caught fire has brought attention to improper storage of medical waste at the building, according to a report on WXYZ.com. Individuals reported blisters, cellulitis and respiratory problems right after the fire. One doctor who provided treatment said the symptoms were associated with inhaling formaldehyde vapors. The Detroit ABC television affiliate, Seven Action News, had planned to tape a story about medical waste being improperly stored and transported from Biochem Technical Services when they heard about a fire at the company’s warehouse. Station reporters had previously interviewed company owner, Raoul Mangrum, who originally told them the waste consisted of medical office waste, such as sharps and gauze. On the day of the fire, however, Mangrum told reports the waste may have included human tissue. The Detroit Crime Commission, a group of private investigators funded by private companies and donations secretly videotaped Mangrum in a hazmat suit loading boxes into a truck. The detectives followed Mangrum to vacant home in the city and encountered him after he stored the boxes in the garage. Staffers from the office of State Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Southwest Detroit) were investigating the medical waste storage reports before the fire occurred. They learned neither the state of Michigan nor the local governments have regulations requiring medical waste to be tracked after it is picked up from medical facilities.

reenfield, IN—According to an InsideINdianaBusiness.com report, a new medical waste facility using the ozone (O3) sterilization process will open here in early 2014. Greenfield city and local hospital leaders say the operation comes about as a strategic partnership between Hancock Regional Hospital and long-time local waste hauler, Fisk Services. The 9,520 square-foot O3 PureMed facility will process and sterilize all forms of medical waste from hospitals, nursing and research facilities around central Indiana. The “O3” part of the company’s name stands for ozone. In nature, ozone is created by the sun’s ultraviolet rays and the electrical discharges that accompany lightning storms. Unlike the oxygen in the air we breathe, (O2), which consists of two atoms, ozone has three atoms. This odd number of atoms makes ozone unstable and it’s this instability that can be used to destroy pathogen cells. The O3 PureMed sterilization process minimizes staff handling of medical waste. What’s more, no emissions are created and the resulting waste volume is cut by 90 percent. Thus, the need for a separate medical waste landfill and the accompanying frequent trucking to the landfill is eliminated. The sterilized shredded waste may be added safely to a traditional landfill. According to the Centers for Disease Control Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008), ozone sterilization was cleared by FDA in August 2003, initially for processing reusable medical devices. For medical waste, the sterilization concept is similar, but the equipment is much larger. Bags of medical waste are loaded into a process tank for maceration and ozone exposure. Depending on the type of waste, the residue is drained away as grey water or fed into a hopper and then containerized for transport to a landfill.

ive Oak, FL —A company has put plans on hold for locating a new medical waste incineration facility here, if only temporarily, according to an article on SuwanneeDemocrat.com. The Pennsylvania-based company, Integrated Waste Management Systems (IWMS), had plans for placing four hospital, medical and infectious waste incinerator units on Suwannee County property. The company began discussions with the county commissioners and other local government officials, and applied for a permit to allow each unit to burn 2,500 pounds of waste per hour, for a maximum of 30-tons per day. After opposition surfaced, however, IWMS owner, Major General (ret.) Marvin Jay Barry withdrew the company’s environmental resource permit application from the Suwannee River Water Management District. Last summer, local citizen’s group, Save Our Suwannee, petitioned the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for more time to study the local impacts of the proposed medical waste incinerator. “It’s a matter of public record that we did withdraw the permit because that permit carried a very hefty application fee, and when it became obvious the commissioners were not going to support the specific site we were looking at, the catalyst site, which is owned by the county, it became clear the storm water permit associated with that particular piece of land was not going to be necessary. So, we withdrew it,” Barry said. In 2012, the company drew opposition from Baker County, FL residents when it announced plans to locate a $27 million medical waste incineration plant there.

ampa, FL—Two groups of Florida scientists are studying separate approaches that each hopes will control the infectious disease, Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a TampaBay.com article reports. The vaccine is under development by Sanofi Pasteur in Lyon, France and being tested at 200 sites around the world. In the United States, scientists at Meridien Research in St. Petersburg are conducting a three-year blind study. “I see this as one day being a universal vaccine that everyone over 50 gets, like a flu, pneumonia or shingles vaccine,” said Dr. Gigi Lefebvre, principal investigator at Meridien. At University of South Florida, patients already infected with C. diff are being enrolled in a drug trial study where they will be given a drug containing antibodies that can deactivate the toxins that cause the illness’ worst symptoms. C. diff is commonly present in air, water, human and animal feces and even food. Antibiotics can diminish or destroy the “friendly” intestinal bacteria that keep C. diff in check. Once C. diff multiplies, however, it can cause severe abdominal cramping and pain, diarrhea, fever and colon inflammation. In severe cases, C.diff can lead to kidney failure and death. The CDC has taken aim at the C. diff in recent years, placing it near the top of its hit list for infectious disease control. The agency says that more than two million Americans develop a C.diff infection each year, a quarter of those infected are hospitalized and close to ten percent of them die. C. diff presents a challenge to control in healthcare facilities because its spores can remain viable and infectious for months. Patients must be isolated and infection control precautions must be followed.

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Medical Waste Management www.medicalwastemanagementnews.com

VOL. IX NO. 4

Serving Healthcare Facility Waste Management Professionals

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Special buyers’ guide PAGES 7-14

TOP STORIES KentuckyOne Health – Breaking Out of the Gate with Its New Green Recycling Initiative

PAGE 1

Weaning Off Fossil Fuels - Health Care Provider Zeros In On Energy Independence

PAGE 4

CA Court fines Rite Aid $12.3 Million for Improper Handling of Waste

PAGE 18

Medical Waste Incineration on Hold in Suwannee County

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