Northwell Health and Envetec Sustainable Technologies Ltd announced the implementation of Generations technology for on-site processing of regulated medical waste, including single-use laboratory plastics, glass, PPE, and sharps containers. Generations is a system that uses proprietary chemicals to non-thermally shred and disinfect laboratory waste into recyclable flakes that can be safely transported.
Generations waste treatment systems chemically disinfect and shred medical waste at the source. Photo courtesy: Envetec
northwell health is the largest health care system in New York State. “Climate change is clearly becoming a public health crisis, and it requires urgent action and leadership from hospitals,” said Michael Dowling, Northwell’s president and CEO. “As New York’s largest hospital network and private employer, Northwell Health is committed to leading the transition toward a sustainable healthcare future. , represents significant progress towards our climate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.”
Northwell’s core laboratory employs Generations technology and plans to sustainably process more than 500,000 pounds of regulated medical waste annually on-site. This waste has historically required traditional treatment and disposal methods: transportation, autoclaving, and landfilling. Compared to standard treatment of regulated medical waste at his nine locations around the world, Generations is projected to significantly reduce waste-related Scope 3 emissions by up to 90%.
Prior to installation, Generations technology was approved by the EPA and the New York State Department of Health.
“Northwell Health is driving meaningful innovation to meet climate goals, and we are pleased to partner with one of the nation’s largest health systems,” said Envetec CEO Malcolm Bell. Masu. “New standards in waste management are needed to enable laboratories to move away from dependence on transportation, autoclaving, incineration, and landfill. Generations processes biohazardous waste on-site and reduces scope 3 emissions. It plays an important role in reducing volume.”
