Montefiore launches system wide sharps recycling program
Montefiore Medical Center, located in New York City, is the first integrated healthcare delivery network in the U.S. to introduce a system-wide recycling program that diverts sharps from the waste stream and recycles the materials for use in new products.
More than 348,500 lbs. of needles and syringes have been collected and processed for recycling since the pilot initiative began last August.
Montefiore has been long recognized for its energy-efficient and environmentally friendly practices, most notably being the first New York City hospital to install a cogeneration system. Built in 1995, the system can generate all of the power for Montefiore’s main campus.
The sharps recycling program, known as BD ecoFinity® Life Cycle Solution, was launched at Montefiore in collaboration with Waste Management, Inc., a waste and environmental services company, and BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a medical technology company. Before the program was introduced at Montefiore, single-use sharps were collected in designated containers and incinerated off-site. Now, sharps are collected, treated and processed by Waste Management to recover reusable plastic, glass and metal. BD then uses the recycled plastic to make the BD Recykleen™ Sharps Collectors that are placed throughout Montefiore’s three inpatient campuses and nearly 100 ambulatory sites in the Bronx and lower Westchester County.