As people start to get into the spirit of the holidays, sustainability and ‘greening’ efforts tend to be put on the back-burner. Household waste increases nearly 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day in the United States alone (via Ohio EPA). One BIG contributor to the increase in waste – other than the food waste generated by big family meals – is that lovely gift wrap paper adorning the millions of presents given throughout the holiday season. In the U.S., annual trash from gift-wrap and shopping…

While many people realize that waste can be reduced by recycling, less attention has been given to the problem of waste generated by uneaten/spoiled food. It’s no less important, though, and is increasingly drawing attention from sustainability and hunger-prevention advocates. Let’s start with some facts: It’s estimated that 40% of all food produced in the United States goes to the landfill. That’s right, 42.8 million tons – close to half of all the food we grow and raise is simply thrown out as trash, even…

This blog has been updated with new resources as of September 2024. Read the newer version here. Waste management in a healthcare setting can be a very difficult, yet rewarding, task. It’s something that requires regular attention to drive awareness and form important daily habits with your staff & patients. Standardize your program, add more recycling stations, reduce contamination—these are all the typical phrases you’ll hear in the recycling community about how to improve diversion rates and reduce costs at your facility. These are all…