Reusable Rubber Bands Eliminate 1.5 Tons of Plastic Waste
December 15, 2020
Staying safe and going green!
THE BRAINSTORM
A desire for a change and a simple idea collide. After use, hospital infusion pumps at one hospital were cleaned and then placed in plastic garbage bags to indicate they were ready for use. However, this approach didn’t match the hospital’s sustainability goals.
When the units were reused all the plastic was thrown away, resulting in the 1.5 million tons of plastic a year finding its way to landfills. But thanks to an innovative idea and custom printed rubber bands, the process has changed. Now there’s no need for the bags.
A NEW PROCESS
The new process uses reusable silicone rubber bands. Once cleaned, the pumps are banded with a reusable rubber band. The pumps can then be delivered to units with the CLEAN bands affixed.
RECYCLING
When the pump is needed for patient care, the band is removed by logistics staff and placed in a collection bin for reuse.