LVHHN Steps Up Recycling Efforts

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Oct. 21, 2008) – In six months, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network’s (LVHHN) three hospitals generate nearly 230,000 pounds of paper waste and more than 12,000 pounds of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass. While the network has always recycled these items, a new initiative is underway to ensure these materials are consistently placed in the proper container for recycling.

“Not only will it save us thousands of dollars that we can use to invest in health care services for our community, recycling is the right thing to do for our environment,” says Linda Zengen, LVHHN waste reduction specialist.

LVHHN purchased more than 1,800 containers to hold paper waste. A container was placed at every hospital work station. Because some of the paper waste contains protected health information, each container has a lid to keep the documents secure. Paper from these containers is collected and taken to an off-site, secure facility for shredding and recycling. LVHHN also purchased nearly 400 containers to hold bottles, cans and glass (commingled) that will be sent off-site for recycling. These containers were placed in areas where commingled waste is generated. All of the containers purchased were made with 55 percent recycled plastic.

Zengen also is visiting each hospital department to teach staff the importance of discarding waste in the proper container. Part of the education includes stickers that are placed on the four kinds of hospital waste containers: regular trash, paper, commingled and medical waste. The stickers remind employees which items should not be thrown into a particular container.

LVHHN hopes the education will prevent recyclable items from being thrown in the regular trash. “For example, we hope to collect 800,000 pounds of paper for recycling this year. That would be double the amount we collected in previous years,” Zengen says. In total, LVHHN hopes to save $250,000 a year through its recycling and other waste management initiatives.

Recycling is not the only way LVHHN is creating a “green” hospital. The Kasych Family Pavilion and The Center for Advanced Health Care, two new buildings on the campus of LVH-Cedar Crest, recently earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the national benchmark for green buildings. The buildings received certification because:

· Recycled materials were used whenever possible

· Most materials were purchased from companies that manufactured and shipped them from within 500 miles of the hospital

· Heating and cooling systems, and appliances are energy efficient

· Shower heads and toilets are water efficient

· Reflective roofing material reduces cooling costs

· Large windows provide abundant natural light

· Unoccupied areas, like storage closets, have motion sensors that turn lights on and off when someone enters and leaves.

A premier academic community hospital, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network includes three hospital facilities - two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa. - and Lehigh Valley Health Services, providing home health, hospice, pharmaceutical and health management services. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report named Lehigh Valley Hospital one of America's Best Hospitals for the thirteenth straight year. LVHHN's advanced regional resources include a Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications; a regional referral Burn Center for critical care burn patients; national certification as a Primary Stroke Center; the largest cancer program in the region and fourth largest in Pennsylvania; the Regional Heart Center - the second largest heart program in Pennsylvania based on volume; and an Advanced ICU with tele-intensivists to provide an extra level of care for critical care patients.

This page last updated 10/21/08 04:19 PM