Recycling questions? Ask Sonja and Helen
Every two months, Recycling Renewal Program (RRP) Coordinators, Sonja and Helen, answer your questions on what can and cannot be recycled at Health Authority owned hospital and residential care sites.
Recycling in health care facilities is different to recycling at home or in an office. Our facilities generate biomedical waste, so our recyclables pose a higher risk to recycling vendor staff that sort items by hand. We want to help ensure you have the information you need to dispose of your waste items correctly.
Missed previous editions? We post the recycling question and answer series with photos and posters on the BCGreenCare.ca site here.
Edition #9: Empty medicine vials
Q. Where should I dispose of empty medicine vials at Lower Mainland hospitals and residential care facilities?
Dispose of empty medicine vials in the Garbage.
Some examples are:
- Ampicillin for injection
- Cefazolin for injection
- Penicillin G sodium for injection
- Lidocaine and Epinephrine for injection
- Sterile water for injection
Regardless of whether or not the vial is made of glass or plastic, they should all be disposed of in the garbage when they are empty.
Q. But, why can’t I recycle empty medicine vials in the Mixed Container bin?
These items aren’t accepted by our recycling vendor for two reasons:
- Glass medical containers, including vials, aren’t accepted by our vendor due to low market demand and perceived contamination risk. See Edition #4 for more information on how to dispose of your waste glass items.
- Even if the empty vial is made of plastic, the lid (closure system) generally contains some rubber or metal and can’t be removed. This means that the item is mixed waste and can’t be recycled.
Remember: the only glass accepted by our recycling vendor are food and beverage containers in the mixed container recycling bin.
Send us your questions!
Unsure about what can and can’t be recycled and why? Or do you have an inspiring story about recycling in your unit? Send an email to Sonja.janousek@fraserhealth.ca We’ll include your question in a future edition of Ask Sonja and Helen, or contact you directly.
Jillian
Where can we dispose of any items made of plastic such as old pens, tape holders, correction dispensers, etc in fact just about anything in the administration department that could be recyclable and non-organic.
We have a recycling program here for empty plastic food items and was wondering if we could add the previous list of items. If so, I would like to make notices to pass around the office to stop as much plastic from ending up in the landfill.
thanks
Sonja Janousek
Hi Jillian,
Thanks for your question!
From the list of items you mention above, it sounds like most of them should be disposed of in the garbage. It all depends if they can be emptied (correction dispenser), and if the different materials that make up a pen/tape holder can be separated before placing in the recycling bin. Pens and tape holders are good examples of mixed material. They are made of plastic and metal, and it’s not always easy to take them apart.For items to be recycled, they need to be just plastic, or just metal. Unfortunately, there is no one to separate these materials, so the vendor will just put them in the garbage. In order to give you relevant information, I need to know your work site. What can be recycled at a hospital or residential care site, is different to our leased sites. Please email me directly so that I can follow up with you about what is OK at your site.
Cheers and thanks for supporting recycling in health care!
Sonja
sonja.janousek@fraserhealth.ca