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UCLA Health Sustainability Efforts
UCLA Health has been working to support the environment by reusing and recycling whenever possible, and by reducing the amount of hazardous material that are disposed.
Healthier Hospitals Initiative
The Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) is a collaborative effort among healthcare organizations to address health and environmental impacts of the healthcare industry. Medical centers and health systems around the country are joining this initiative and committing to improving environmental health and sustainability.
UCLA Health has committed to:
- Actively engage leadership by implementing sustainable activities, such as creating a strategic sustainability plan and environmental steering committee, and educating employees on sustainability.
- Decrease its meat purchases and increase the percentage of healthier beverages and local/sustainable food purchases.
- Reduce regulated medical waste to less than 10 percent, achieve recycling rate of 15 percent of total waste and implement a construction and demolition debris recycling program.
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Increase by 50 percent expenditures on reprocessed FDA-eligible, single-use devices.
Awards
UCLA Health has been honored with the "Food, Climate, Health Connection Award" and "Practice Greenhealth's Partner for Change Award" from the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) Healthy Food in Health Care (HFHC) program.
The Food, Climate, Health Connection Award is one of four sustainable food awards given to recognize facilities that are taking significant steps toward reducing the amount of meat and poultry purchased; purchasing foods and beverages produced without fossil-fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides; preventing waste, donating food and composting; and conserving energy and water.
The Partner for Change Award is presented to facilities working to improve and expand upon programs to eliminate mercury, reduce waste and prevent pollution. It recognizes facilities that have successful pollution-prevention programs, recycle at least 15 percent of their total waste and work to eliminate mercury.
Food Collection for Compost
Staff and visitors have the opportunity to place food and compostable service ware in bins that are collected and sent to a compost facility. The organic material decomposes under special conditions and serves as fertilizer for agricultural purposes closing the loop on food waste. At the current rate, we expect to avoid 78 tons of food waste from going to the landfill in 2013
Reusable Totes
Many of the medical center's deliveries are carried in reusable plastic totes. The distributer will remove products usually from cardboard boxes and places them in reusable totes which are delivered to the medical center. The totes are sent to the floors and once emptied are returned to the distributor to repeat the process. The cardboard that would end up in the medical center's waste stream never does and is recycled by the distributor.
Reusable Sharps Container
UCLA Health has a program to reuse sharps containers (medical waste disposal containers). While the hazardous waste is sterilized and incinerated, the container itself goes through a regulated process of sterilization, reassembly and is then returned to the health system. Reusing biohazard containers eliminates 40 to 60 tons of UCLA waste from being added to landfills.
Food Service Sustainability
The Nutrition Services Department has created a labeling system to highlight sustainable choices for diners. The department purchases 60 percent of their organic dairy and produce from locally grown sources and aims to increase purchases of sustainable food products.
To promote the connection between healthier eating and sustainability, all four cafeterias that operate on UCLA's Westwood and Santa Monica campuses eliminated fried foods from their menus for patients (with the exception of pediatric patients), implemented "Meatless Monday," lowered the cost of the salad bar prices and raised the cost of soda.
The raising of beef produces harmful greenhouse gases, thus, by encouraging people to consume more fruits and vegetables and less beef, we help reduce the harmful effects to the ozone layer.
The Nutrition Services Department stopped using Styrofoam. All plates, serving utensils and cups are made from Bagasse, a compostable and biodegradable product derived from sugar cane. Organic waste, which is collected in recycling bins in the kitchens and dining areas, all goes to a composting plant that turns it into a flaky pulp that eventually is used as fertilizer. Most of the food service products are either reusable, recyclable or compostable
Toner Cartridge Recycling
Ink and toner cartridges are recyclable. A collection cart located in the medical center is the temporary home of used ink and toner cartridges which are later picked up and recycled. An estimated 5.9 tons of cartridges were collected for recycling in 2012 from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Even better yet, UCLA Health purchases remanufactured toner cartridges. Remanufactured toners are made from recycled cartridges.
Microfiber Reusable Mops
UCLA Health switched from conventional wet loop mops to flat microfiber reusable mops in order to reduce chemical and water use. The microfiber mops are more effective due to the large surface area, are lightweight and leave behind a faster-drying floor.
Bed Linen Reduction Initiative
UCLA Health makes every effort to not only reduce waste, but decrease the consumption of water and chemicals used to launder linen. Linen is changed upon request or as needed in patient care areas. The way beds are made has changed as well; placing less linen on the beds that often times is never used.
Reusable Coffee Mugs and Water Bottles
UCLA Health promotes the use of reusable beverage containers as a way to reduce waste. Drip coffee is offered at a reduced price when using a reusable beverage container. Reusable coffee mugs are available for sale at the dining areas.
To further promote this initiative, UCLA Health staff members were given reusable water bottles. Refill stations are available for staff and visitors.
Zero Blowdown
The UCLA Health Facilities Department has installed a zero-discharge system for the cooling tower water at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, which eliminates chemicals being introduced to the sewer system from the condenser water system and significantly reduces water consumption. Approximately 10,000 gallons of water per day are saved.
Contact Us
Teresa Hildebrand
Sustainability Programs Manager
UCLA Health
P 310-794-4114
E thildebrand@mednet.ucla.edu
