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Medical waste?

Posted by plant-one-on-me MI 5/6 (My Page) on
Wed, Mar 26, 08 at 20:56

I brought home some empty IV bags and tubing instead of throwing it away at work (I am an RN in the ICU). I rinsed out the bags and refilled with water. I am using them to drip irrigate my overwintered geranium and other houseplants. The roller clamp on the IV tubing lets me adjust the amount of water just right.

I also brought home some containers that hold pre-filled syringes. Great containers for my homemade newspaper pots. My best ones fit directly on the windowsill.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Medical waste?

Great ideas!

I don't consider that stuff "medical waste" though, I'd think of it as clean material (I think of medical "waste" as something that's been used & that may be contaminated.)

When I had dental work done, I was dismayed at the amount of waste generated.

Barrels & barrels of plastic sheeting were sent to the landfill every day, as were huge numbers of paper gowns that the dentists & techs had worn once (& if they had to leave the patient, say to get more materials, they had to throw away their gloves & get new ones.)

& I bet neither they nor their waste management contractor composts or re-cycles a thing, too much liability.

It's so nice to hear of someone making a difference, keeping something out of the landfill & reaping a benefit as well!


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RE: Medical waste?

I think that a lot of that medical waste stuff gets incinerated rather than going to landfills, actually. But, that comes with its own environmental impact. I read recently that there is actually a fair amount of mercury in medical waste, which gets released when it is incinerated. Here's a fact sheet from the EPA, if you're interested:
http://www.epa.gov/ARD-R5/glakes/fact1.htm


 
 

 

 


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