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Waste reduction

A sustainable hospital: Waste reduction best practice tips

As hospitals seek to find ways to be more sustainable, one option is to look at the total plastic waste their facility is generating.

Any change in healthcare activities that brings down this total waste figure means reduced use of raw materials in the production process, reduced costs for waste disposal or recycling, and ultimately reduced CO2 emissions from waste incineration. 

 

When an option arises to eliminate a whole stream of single-use waste, it’s an opportunity that healthcare practitioners and managers naturally take seriously.

CSSD Manager compares sterile containers vs. single-use wraps waste

Processing sterile goods for the operating theatre

The ongoing performance of operations in the hospital depends on an uninterrupted supply of sterilised reusable equipment, typically provided by a facility’s central sterile services department (CSSD).

Single-use wrap

There are two widely used methods of handling instruments and equipment during the autoclave sterilisation process in the CSSD.

One method uses single-use wrap (often called “blue wrap”) to pack the instruments for sterilisation before they are then stored.

The other method uses reusable containers (typically called rigid sterile containers or “RSCs”) for this same packing and storage function.

Blue wrap delivers sufficient sterilisation performance, but there is a dramatic difference in the quantity of downstream waste generated by these two procedures.

Reusable sterile container

Waste quantity comparison

Sterilisation with blue wrap vs. Aesculap® sterile containers[3]

  • Annual surgeries

    0

    of a typical mid-sized hospital in Germany

  • Single-use wrap

    0kg

    of polypropylene waste is generated each year[3]

  • Sterile containers

    0kg

    total annual waste quantity

Aesculap® rigid sterile containers result in 95% less waste than blue wrap.[3]

Looking at the numbers

Take the example of a typical mid-sized hospital in Germany where 10,610 annual surgeries are performed with an average of 3 sterilised sets per surgery:

 

  • When single-use wrap is used for instrument sterilisation 3,310 kg of polypropylene waste is generated each year.[3]
  • By contrast, when reusable rigid sterile containers are used, the total annual waste quantity is just 149 kg – less than 5% of the waste quantity coming from single-use wrap. And two thirds of this 149 kg figure consists of paper filters, with a mere 46 kg of plastic waste being generated from the container locks over a whole year of sterilisation activity.[3]
Download our infograph waste quantity comparison

Reduced waste, plus reduced costs

A strong argument can be made for such a switchover simply on the basis of its positive effects in connection with waste reduction. But strikingly, the benefits of the rigid sterile container sterilisation method also extend to costs.
 

Following the initial investment in new equipment for the rigid sterile container process, hospitals actually save money in their ongoing processing of sterile equipment for the operating room (OR).
 

  • In a US-based calculation, it has been estimated that a conversion to rigid sterile containers can save a medium size hospital up to $20K annually in disposable operating expenses and more than 150 hours in processing time. [1]
  • Similarly, a Germany-based study found that use of a sterilisation container without an inner wrap was the most cost-effective option for processing of sterile equipment – with a per-use cost of €2.05 set sterilisation as compared to €3.87 per set sterilization for two layers of single-use sterilisation wrap. [2]

 

With a cost-benefit profile like this, it’s no surprise that more and more hospitals are taking the waste-reduction step of moving from single-use sterilisation wrap to reusable rigid sterile containers.

More interesting facts about sterile packaging systems

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[1] Figure from Aesculap website. Referenced: “Data on file at Aesculap”

[2] Krohn, M.; Fengler, J.; Mickley, T.; Flessa, S. Analysis of processes and costs of alternative packaging options of sterile goods in hospitals – A case study in two German hospitals. Health Econ. Rev. 2019, 9, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-018-0218-2

[3] Waste quantity comparison – Sterilization with blue wrap vs AESCULAP® rigid sterile containers: Calculation example