waste diversion

Plastic Free Every Day

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Plastic Free July is ending, but habits to remove and reduce use of plastic can continue year-round. 

Plastic is literally everywhere, and it can be overwhelming deciding where to start. PlasticFreeJuly.org has great resources on getting started; plastic free at work;  at events; and more!

A recent article from Sierra Club discusses your plastic-free kitchen and provides tips such as utilizing glass jars; reusable produce bags; alternatives to plastic wrap; and thinking twice about what and where you buy.  “Until we have regulatory policies that ensure all chemicals are safe, we will still have toxic chemicals in our homes. Focus on a few things here that will improve your life and reduce your exposure. Don’t try to seek perfection, says Schreder, which is ‘too much on us on the individual, instead of holding the industry and government accountable enough.'”

LiveHealthyOSU.com also recently posted an article, Pass on Pesky Plastics, with information and simple ideas.

Buy whole produce –  Instead of buying half a vegetable such as a cabbage, or pumpkin wrapped in plastic, many people are choosing the whole thing.  By planning meals ahead and making a double batches of meals such as pumpkin soup it’s easily to find ways to use it all and freeze a meal as well.

Avoid plastic cleaning products – Choose plastic free cleaning products and homemade alternatives.

Swap bottled soaps with bars – Swapping out liquid soap in plastic bottles to bar soap is a popular way to reduce plastic waste. Bar soaps can be found without packaging in bulk food, health, and organic stores. Supermarkets also offer bar soaps wrapped in paper packaging, providing eco-friendly options almost everywhere.

***Did you know that you can host a Zero Waste Event with OSU? Learn more and order your Zero Waste Event Kit here!

Donate Plastics and Make a Bench!

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Throughout June, Chadwick Arboretum is partnering with the Green Team Employee Resource Group at OSU to create a locally-made bench from recycled plastics! This bench will be placed at Earth Day Park near the Medical Center Campus.

If you would like to contribute to the construction of the bench, sort through your plastic pots, trays, and other hard-to-recycle items to find ONLY #6 plastics; clean them, and drop them off ANYTIME to the barn compound behind the 4-H Center.

*Note: There will be a horticulture plastics recycling event in July, so save your other pots for later!

What: #6 Plastic Recycling Drop Off

When: June 1-30, 2024, anytime

Where: Chadwick Arboretum Hoop House

2201 Fred Taylor Drive (behind the 4-H center)

*signage should be posted at this location soon to help direct you to the gaylord boxes where the plastic can be donated.

Donate # 6 Plastics Today!

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We have broken ground in Earth Day Park! This park is located on the medical campus on 8th Ave (near Michigan Ave) behind 9th Ave East Garage and next to 9th Ave Garage West.

The Green Team Employee Resource Group (ERG) has been working to develop this plot of land for over 2 years to create a peaceful oasis for the both the Ohio State community and the neighborhood that we border. In May 2023, the Green Team ERG celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony with the promise to plant at least 1 native pollinator garden in the space.

In addition to multiple pollinator gardens, the park will have an ADA accessible sidewalk, a sensory garden and 2 benches.

The benches will be made by local company Marble Plastics using 100% recycled plastic! That’s where YOU come in!

The benches need #6 plastic (no styrofoam). These are RIGID plastics as seen in the picture. Items made from rigid plastic #6 include disposable plastic cups, lids for paper coffee cups, CD and DVD cases, clothes hangers and plastic utensils.

Drop off any #6 plastics at any Green Team Earth Day event happening this month.

Don’t be a Fool! Join the Green Team for the EcoChallenge

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This is no April Fool’s joke! In celebration of Earth Day April 22nd, the Green Team ERG will be hosting a variety events all month including webinars, plant giveaways, and a cooking demo.

 Find the list of events here

To kick off the month, we invite you to participate in the events below!

Fill out the Green Team survey and be entered to win a prize!

April 1-30: Join the medical center team on the One Healthcare EcoChallenge. We have been invited by Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and Peace Health to participate in a new EcoChallenge designed just for health care employees – the One Healthcare EcoChallenge. During this month-long challenge during April, health care organizations will come together to support our caregivers in taking actions that promote individual, community and environmental health. By signing up for this free challenge, you can select which actions you want to take during the challenge in the following categories: at work, at home, in our communities, health & well-being and for one health care. You can sign up for up to 6 actions, or just do 1!

Register for CleanMed Webinar Series

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CleanMed is the premier conference on environmental sustainability in the health care sector. In prepapration for their annual conference in Salt Lake City in May, CleanMed is offering FREE webinars on the topic of sustainability in healthcare.

Reducing food waste to feed your community & save money

April 25, 2024; 3 p.m. EST Register Here

Food should feed people, not landfills. Food waste not only contributes to climate change, but is a missed opportunity for addressing food insecurity in our communities.

Learn from Practice Greenhealth partners about the creative and comprehensive approaches they have used to reduce wasted food, and how doing so has saved money, reduced their climate impact, and supported hunger relief in their communities.

The value of clinical leadership & governance structure in advancing sustainability

May 2, 2024; 3 p.m. EST Register Here

Clinical care is a driving factor of health care emissions and pollution. As the largest percentage of a hospital’s workforce, it is critical to engage, educate, and empower clinicians to lead change. Health care organizations gain many benefits from positioning a health professional in a leadership role within their sustainability governance structure.

In this session, hear about Ascension’s Clinical Work Group within their Environmental Impact and Sustainability program, which harnesses organizational decision-making pathways toward decreasing the environmental impact of clinical care.

Learn about the inclusion of health professional leadership within Ascension’s governance structure and processes and programming for clinical sustainability initiatives including desflurane elimination, improving regulated medical waste segregation, and educating clinicians about conserving resources.

Yard Waste Tips for Spring

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Spring Cleaning means sprucing up those yards for the warmer months. Fortunately, the Green Team ERG is here to help provide tips and resources on Yard Waste.

1. Curbside Pick-up

Most Columbus addresses have yard waste curbside pickup. This is probably the most convenient form of disposal. Use the Collection Day Lookup to see if and when your address is eligible for curbside yard waste pickup.

The City of Columbus also provides information on yard waste collection such as what is accepted, what is not accepted and how to prepare your yard waste for collection.

Be sure to avoid plastic bags, food waste, rocks and dirt.

2. Yard Waste Drop-Off

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) subsidizes the cost for Franklin County residents to be able to drop off their yard waste materials for FREE at processors who turn yard waste materials into compost and mulch. Visit swaco.org/yardwaste for a list of those drop-off locations as well as a list of the materials accepted and hours of operations.

3. Food Waste and Compost

Only stems, roots and leaves can be collected for the above mentioned collections, so what to do if you have food waste such as fallen fruit? The most sustainable solution is to compost. Compost bins can also include many particles that are also seen in yard waste such as leaves, grass clippings, and sticks.

Want to learn more or become more active in Sustainability? Check out OSUMC’s Green Team ERG.

Or sign up to be a member!

Reusable sharps container program diverts 70 tons of plastic annually at medical center

A hand dropping a syringe into a Stericycle reusable sharps container
| Susannah Kistler

The Stericycle reusable sharps container program started in 2021 at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and since the full implementation, it has been diverting over 70 tons of plastic away from the landfill each year!

How does this work? 

Every reusable container from Stericycle replaces the use of up to 600 containers. This significantly reduces plastic and cardboard going to landfills, which supports our zero waste and carbon footprint reduction goals.