Intelligence Unit
Special Reports
Special Events
Subscribe/Buy
Sponsored
Departments
- Leadership
- Finance
- Technology
- Physicians
- Community Hospitals
- Health Plans
- Marketing
- Quality
- Nursing
- HR
Follow Us
How Legacy Health System Deals with its Electronic Afterlife
Tom Badrick, for HealthLeaders News, September 25, 2007
Today's dependence on PCs and other electronics has created a new environmental challenge for hospitals: Electronic waste. It's a huge environmental issue--especially for American hospitals that produce, in total, 6,000 tons of waste daily. We've grown so dependent on electronics that our hospitals can't run without them, so the issue of what to do with end-of-life electronics has become more critical over the past decade. PCs, in particular, with an average life span of just a few years, are going out of service faster than they're being produced.
Recycling role model for other hospitals
Many hospitals are taking the right steps in recycling, but Legacy Health System is much further ahead than most. The largest Oregon-based not-for-profit healthcare organization, Legacy Health System is comprised of six hospitals on five campuses, 11 primary care clinics, numerous specialty clinics, and 8,500 employees that includes a large professional staff of employed and affiliated physicians.
As a result of our efforts, Legacy has become a nationally recognized leader in environmental achievement and green consciousness. Legacy Health System recently received the 2007 H2E Sustained Environmental Leadership award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Moreover, all five Legacy hospital campuses received separate environmental leadership awards. The hospitals are Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center, Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center (including Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital), Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, and Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
More accomplishments
In the past five years Legacy Health System's recycling program has moved from a costly waste management operation to a nationwide role model for hospitals that want to save money while being environmentally conscious. Legacy has worked hard to develop a sustainable system that pays for itself--and then some. What might have cost a fortune to implement is actually making money. The positive impact of recycling is $315,000--$300,000 in annual savings by avoiding disposal fees (about $15,000 for electronics) and $15,000 in income.
In our view, we are at the forefront of environmentally responsible healthcare, but we still face an enormous challenge. In 2006, Legacy generated a significant amount of electronic waste: Of the 2,714 tons of materials recycled last year, 74.9 tons of electronics were collected. That's 3,000 pounds weekly--about 3 percent of our total recycling. This included PCs, monitors, keyboards, miscellaneous power supplies, printers, TVs and more. (In addition to electronic waste, Legacy's green initiatives are focused on energy conservation, water conservation, food waste composting, starting "green teams" at every hospital to expand employee involvement and expanding efforts into utilities management including gas, water and electricity.)
About 95 percent of the recycled electronics come from Legacy facilities, with the remainder from community collections and from employee drop-off of their computers from home. Legacy offers the recycling service to employees and to neighbors surrounding Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital.
When recycling computers, it is essential to completely remove all information from the hard drives. We do this for our hospital-owned computers; neighbors and employees who recycle their own computers are encouraged to destroy their hard drives.
While Legacy has been recycling electronics for many years, the program was upgraded in 2002. Hurdles faced in the past have been collections, disposal and inadequate funding to support the effort. Today, Legacy's outstanding program includes an exceptional centralized recycling center/warehouse and trucks used for pick-up. The process has become a smooth, efficient operation.
A key element to Legacy's success is its unique warehouse where recycling waste is stored. The 8,600 square foot building with its 18-foot high ceilings is only two blocks from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. Legacy has used the warehouse building for recycling for 15 years. The space can handle all the recycling waste, including eight pallets worth of electronics.
Keeping out of the landfill
Electronic waste is an oddball product--somewhere between recycling and hazardous waste. One of the biggest challenges is keeping it out of the landfill and trying to find a reputable vendor to disassemble and recycle electronics properly.
State laws dealing with electronics recycling are changing all over the country. In Oregon (always a leader when it comes to recycling), the Oregon Electronics Law creates and finances a statewide collection, transportation and recycling system for TVs, desktop and portable computers, and computer monitors, effective January 2009. The following year, the law will prohibit the disposal of electronic items in Oregon.
Legacy is already far ahead of most hospitals and businesses in its recycling program, and complies with this new law.
Until recently, electronics could be dumped in the landfill, but today that has changed. Many companies in the U.S. disassemble and recycle electronics properly, or they pay vendors to do so, usually at a fairly steep price.
Finding a reputable vendor
As a healthcare system, we recognize the fundamental link between healthy people and a healthy environment. Simply dumping into a landfill or hiring a vendor who will export pollution is no longer an option. There is much more to developing a successful, environmentally-responsible recycling program.
Identifying what questions to ask is critical when looking for a vendor to recycle your electronics. Here are some important questions to consider:
Do your homework
Be sure to do your homework before deciding how to recycle your electronics. Here is a brief checklist to help:
Last word of advice: Have a hammer and screwdriver ready
An important and often forgotten piece of the electronic recycling puzzle is to let employees know that the hospital can't take the responsibility for information left on their personal computers from home. Most employees don't know how to clean their hard drives. You can buy thousands of dollars worth of equipment to do the job--or you can use the free, little-known technology that's in your toolbox. Always have a hammer and screwdriver ready to help. (Yes, this means you'll take out the hard drive and smash it with a hammer).
Tom Badrick has served as Legacy Health System's sustainability coordinator for the past six years and is in charge of "greening" the hospitals. He also assists other hospitals and Portland neighborhoods with their electronics recycling programs and related work. Badrick may be reached at tbadrick@lhs.org .
Recycling role model for other hospitals
Many hospitals are taking the right steps in recycling, but Legacy Health System is much further ahead than most. The largest Oregon-based not-for-profit healthcare organization, Legacy Health System is comprised of six hospitals on five campuses, 11 primary care clinics, numerous specialty clinics, and 8,500 employees that includes a large professional staff of employed and affiliated physicians.
As a result of our efforts, Legacy has become a nationally recognized leader in environmental achievement and green consciousness. Legacy Health System recently received the 2007 H2E Sustained Environmental Leadership award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. Moreover, all five Legacy hospital campuses received separate environmental leadership awards. The hospitals are Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center, Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center (including Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital), Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center, and Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
More accomplishments
In the past five years Legacy Health System's recycling program has moved from a costly waste management operation to a nationwide role model for hospitals that want to save money while being environmentally conscious. Legacy has worked hard to develop a sustainable system that pays for itself--and then some. What might have cost a fortune to implement is actually making money. The positive impact of recycling is $315,000--$300,000 in annual savings by avoiding disposal fees (about $15,000 for electronics) and $15,000 in income.
In our view, we are at the forefront of environmentally responsible healthcare, but we still face an enormous challenge. In 2006, Legacy generated a significant amount of electronic waste: Of the 2,714 tons of materials recycled last year, 74.9 tons of electronics were collected. That's 3,000 pounds weekly--about 3 percent of our total recycling. This included PCs, monitors, keyboards, miscellaneous power supplies, printers, TVs and more. (In addition to electronic waste, Legacy's green initiatives are focused on energy conservation, water conservation, food waste composting, starting "green teams" at every hospital to expand employee involvement and expanding efforts into utilities management including gas, water and electricity.)
About 95 percent of the recycled electronics come from Legacy facilities, with the remainder from community collections and from employee drop-off of their computers from home. Legacy offers the recycling service to employees and to neighbors surrounding Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital.
When recycling computers, it is essential to completely remove all information from the hard drives. We do this for our hospital-owned computers; neighbors and employees who recycle their own computers are encouraged to destroy their hard drives.
While Legacy has been recycling electronics for many years, the program was upgraded in 2002. Hurdles faced in the past have been collections, disposal and inadequate funding to support the effort. Today, Legacy's outstanding program includes an exceptional centralized recycling center/warehouse and trucks used for pick-up. The process has become a smooth, efficient operation.
A key element to Legacy's success is its unique warehouse where recycling waste is stored. The 8,600 square foot building with its 18-foot high ceilings is only two blocks from Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital. Legacy has used the warehouse building for recycling for 15 years. The space can handle all the recycling waste, including eight pallets worth of electronics.
Keeping out of the landfill
Electronic waste is an oddball product--somewhere between recycling and hazardous waste. One of the biggest challenges is keeping it out of the landfill and trying to find a reputable vendor to disassemble and recycle electronics properly.
State laws dealing with electronics recycling are changing all over the country. In Oregon (always a leader when it comes to recycling), the Oregon Electronics Law creates and finances a statewide collection, transportation and recycling system for TVs, desktop and portable computers, and computer monitors, effective January 2009. The following year, the law will prohibit the disposal of electronic items in Oregon.
Legacy is already far ahead of most hospitals and businesses in its recycling program, and complies with this new law.
Until recently, electronics could be dumped in the landfill, but today that has changed. Many companies in the U.S. disassemble and recycle electronics properly, or they pay vendors to do so, usually at a fairly steep price.
Finding a reputable vendor
As a healthcare system, we recognize the fundamental link between healthy people and a healthy environment. Simply dumping into a landfill or hiring a vendor who will export pollution is no longer an option. There is much more to developing a successful, environmentally-responsible recycling program.
Identifying what questions to ask is critical when looking for a vendor to recycle your electronics. Here are some important questions to consider:
- Do they have permits in place?
- How often do they pick up?
- How far will the electronic waste travel?
- Where is it going?
- How much do they charge?
- How do they handle the waste?
- What assurances do they give on paper?
- Can they offer a certificate of destruction? (Documentation that the materials are properly destroyed.) It's critical to know that your electronic waste won't get dumped at the side of the road.
Do your homework
Be sure to do your homework before deciding how to recycle your electronics. Here is a brief checklist to help:
- Find a vendor to pick up your electronic waste and ask all of the critical questions.
- Learn about your state's regulations.
- Assess how much you have. Figure out your baseline of what you have and how it's handled.
- Establish a program to collect electronic waste in your facility.
- Get employees involved.
- Find a place to store your electronic and other recycling.
Last word of advice: Have a hammer and screwdriver ready
An important and often forgotten piece of the electronic recycling puzzle is to let employees know that the hospital can't take the responsibility for information left on their personal computers from home. Most employees don't know how to clean their hard drives. You can buy thousands of dollars worth of equipment to do the job--or you can use the free, little-known technology that's in your toolbox. Always have a hammer and screwdriver ready to help. (Yes, this means you'll take out the hard drive and smash it with a hammer).
Tom Badrick has served as Legacy Health System's sustainability coordinator for the past six years and is in charge of "greening" the hospitals. He also assists other hospitals and Portland neighborhoods with their electronics recycling programs and related work. Badrick may be reached at tbadrick@lhs.org .
Most Viewed
Most Emailed
- CMS Reveals Central Line Infection Rates, Finally
- 5010 Logjam Means No Pay for Physicians
- Keeping Readmission Rates Low with Treatment Guidelines
- Getting to the Heart of Cardiology Alignment
- Parkland Keeping Consultant's Analysis Under Wraps
- Payment Cuts to Critical Access Hospitals 'Inevitable'
- Medicare Physician Payment Rule Factors in GPCI
- Leading Change is Tough from the Back of a Limo
- Feds Release Final Rules on Health Plan Language
- Engineering a High-Performance Emergency Department
