Julie K Edgerton, RN, BSN, MSCRN

Red bin waste reduction

Why this project? Save the hospital moneyReduce harmful

carcinogens produced by autoclaving trash unnecessarily

Save energy by keeping regular trash from going from autoclave to shredder to a specially designated part of the landfill

As part of credentialingI’m a bit of a tree-huggerHealthcare is 2nd most

wasteful industry only to food service in US

Project Plan:Obtain ED’s baseline red bin waste (Nov 26-Dec 12)Educate staffRemove bins from regular rooms (Feb 19)

leave in 2-5

Several small bins still available in dirty utility

No change to large red bins in dirty utility

Supply bedside carts with red bags for PRN use

No change to sharps containers at “all point-of-generation”

Re-measure ED’s red bin waste production (Feb 20-March 5)

Staff surveyED ops and beyond!

Education in Team Meeting Topics (discussed at 7a and 7p by charge before shift. Also emailed to all

nurses and techs)

Team Meeting Topics

2/19-2/26

In effort to decrease our Red Bin Waste, cans will be removed from each pt. room. Red waste biohazard bags will be available in each bedside cart for limited use. If a red waste bin is needed, you can obtain one from a dirty utility room. Please clean the bin with a cavi-wipe and place a red biohazard liner inside the bin and take to the patients room (treat this procedure like a bedside commode). When finished with the red bin, return it to the dirty utility room removing the red trash liner and place it in biohazard trash. Contact Julie Edgerton for questions/concerns

Team Meeting Topics

12/11/14-12/18/14

Per UCH policy all commode bags must be tied and placed in dirty utility large red bins. This is for EVS staff safetyOnce urinals, hats and bed pans are emptied you can place them in regular trash

First education sheet. Placed 12/1/14

Education sheet placed in all staff restrooms & by time clock

(sheet on Left placed 12/9/14. Replaced by Right 2/18- current)

Hi Everyone, As you may have read during your bathroom breaks, I will be removing most of the red bins from the regular rooms for two weeks. 

Why am I doing this? Because Red bin waste is:-expensive-bad for the environment-can be placed in dirty utility-currently full of regular trash

Red bins will not be removed from front rooms. 

Red bags will be stocked in bedside carts in drawer w bed pans/chucks. If used dispose of them in large red bins in dirty utility. 

Red bins will be available in dirty utility. If you have a room generating continuous biohazard waste caviwipe a bin before bringing it into that room. Return to dirty utility when done (just like commodes). 

Remember biohazard waste is: 

Containers containing: blood, semen, vaginal secretions, Pericardial/ peritoneal/ pleural /synovial fluid, liquid stool, filled urine specimen containersItems thoroughly contaminated/saturated with above body fluid(would not pass the “squish” or “drip” test: bandages, gauze, dressings, incontinence pads, PPECommode bags- closed and taken to dirty utilitySuction canisters- closed before taken to dirty utility

Thank you!

Email sent to “UCH-ED Staff all”on 2/17/15

Non-biohazard found in red bins

When I was removing the red bins from the rooms there was not a single red bin that had obvious biohazard waste in it

(around 8am).

# of pt’s seen in ED main (not including supertrack, intake or CDU):Nov 26 - Dec12 = 3423Feb 20 – March 5 = 2651

Baseline=0.1353 lb/pt After red bin removal = 0.0465 lb/pt ***baseline**** (463lbs total)

Wednesday 11/26/14602565000600D4WZ1 21.20

Wednesday 11/26/14602565000600D4WZ7 17.90

Friday 11/28/14602565000600D4WZ3 31.60

Friday 11/28/14602565000600D4X6P 37.20

Friday 11/28/14602565000600D4X6Q18.10

Friday 11/28/14602565000600D4X6S 14.00

Monday 12/1/14 602565000600D4WYS26.10

Monday 12/1/14 602565000600D4WZ8 21.80

Monday 12/1/14 602565000600D4WZC 16.80

Monday 12/1/14 602565000600D4X6R 4.20

Monday 12/1/14 602565000600D4X6X 17.40

Thursday 12/4/14 602565000600D4WYV 10.20

Thursday 12/4/14 602565000600D4WZB 29.40

Thursday 12/4/14 602565000600D4X6Y 24.30

Friday 12/5/14 602565000600D4WYT41.30

Friday 12/5/14 602565000600D4WZA 24.20

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4WZH 20.60

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4WZI 6.60

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4WZM 11.70

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4WZO 13.20

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4WZP 15.80

Monday 12/8/14 602565000600D4X70 21.10

Wednesday 12/10/14602565000600D4WZN 18.30

********* After removing red bins ******* (123 lbs total)

DayDate Barcode Label Weight (lbs)

Monday 2/23/2015 602565000600D4X01 7.2

Wednesday 2/25/2015 602565000600D4X0Q9.5

Monday 2/23/2015 602565000600D4X0T 29.6

Wednesday 2/25/2015 602565000600D4X0V 15.5

Wednesday 2/25/2015 602565000600D4X0W22.5

Friday 2/27/2015 602565000600D4X0Z 14.7

Monday 3/2/2015602565000600D4X19 24.4

Trusting the numbers?

EVS Staff responsible for taking all large bins from dirty utility to loading doc seen taking bags out of less full bin and placing in bin on cart

Volunteers placed sharps containers in large red bins (removed when noticed and placed in correct part of dirty utility room)

Bins are supposed to be collected 2x/day. Sometimes no bins removed- because they aren’t full?

Stickers are placed on all red bins at loading doc. Is it possible some bins had two stickers and were scanned incorrectly?

Challenges:Housekeeping staff trash removal compliance (staff seen taking bags out of large bins)

Access to large red bins in dirty utility rooms obstructed

Inconvenience to staff. 10% of staff say job is “greatly” affected by removal of red bins

Q: How much was your job affected by removing red bins from rooms?

Greatly (9)Somewhat (35)Not at all (36)

Q: How often do you think you need a red bin or bag (not sharps)?

>3x/day (10)1-2 x/day (31)Less than daily (39)

Q: Rate your understanding of what goes in red bags/bins:

barely knowledge-able (2)somewhat knowledgeable (38)very knowl-edgeable (40)

Q: Where can you get a red bin or bag if needed? *correct answer per education provided**also correct as bins were moved from original location

Canada (2)

Storage room by 15 (4)

Room 1 (20) **

Dirty Utility Room (54) *

Q : Where can you find a red bag if needed?

*correct

Canada (2)from housekeep-ing (8)in bedside carts (40)all of the above (30) *

Q : Biohazard waste is __ x more expensive than regular trash to process. *Correct

same cost (0)5x more (39) *20x more (41)

Next year’s estimate of red bin waste based on 70,000 pt seen in

main ED

baseline reduced bins0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

lbs red bin waste

Future of red bins in the ED?Place them back in every room?

Get rid of the bins that have been removed from regular rooms?

Plan for educating staff? Plan for keeping dirty utility organized?

Questions?