Medical practices easily generate a LOT of waste. Our practice is no exception as we strive to keep our facility clean and practice strict infection-control protocols. But we believe this can go hand-in-hand with sustainability. Here is how we are trying to do our part:
We are proud that our office building participates in paper, plastic, and metal recycling as part of NYC's programs and we are diligent in separating our waste streams.
We utilize Terracyle and pay for the separate recycling of the disposable products we go through most often: gloves and ear plugs.
We are excited that NYC recently started street composting! Although it is disappointing that we don't have in-building services just yet, we are collecting compostable materials in the office and taking advantage of on-street services.
When it is safe, we reuse patient-specific products like sanitary barriers, keeping each patient's supplies in their own sterile space. Whenever possible we use washable, reusable barriers such as pillowcases and seat covers for the TMS chair.
If you have other ideas, we would be glad to hear them in the comments!