The humble pillow case that saved thousands of plastic bags

Plastic bags might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of waste generated by healthcare facilities. But, for those working in departments such as medical imaging or radiation therapy, plastic patient garment bags are an all-too-common source of non-recylable garbage. Fortunately, as MRI Technologist Indra Zeidaks learned, they don’t have to be.

With a simple change in the department’s processes, she and her colleagues are now preventing an estimated 8000 plastic bags from entering the landfill each year. How? They determined that pillow cases could hold patients’ clothing just as well as plastic bags, and produce no material waste.

“Green” employment engagement programs

It’s the kind process change or systems intervention that the Lower Mainland’s Energy and Environmental Sustainability team are trying to encourage through their employee engagement programs, such as Green+Leaders and GreenCare.

Zeidaks worked with colleagues to ensure that additional pillow cases were requested from laundry to accommodate the increased need and, at the same time, to ensure no new plastic bags were ordered.

“Coworkers were very receptive,” says Zeidaks, “because less garbage was being generated in our department.”

Since introducing this change four years ago, the MRI department at Vancouver General Hospital has kept approximately 31,000 plastic bags out of the landfill, a change with real impacts on the health of people and our planet.

The impact of plastic on our environment

It’s estimated that plastic takes 1000 years to break down. In this process, it doesn’t biodegrade but fragments into smaller and smaller pieces, which enter the marine and land food chain and eventually end up in the human body.

Keeping waste out of our landfills is also good for the climate. Through anaerobic decomposition, landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 per cent more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Advice & resources for launching green projects

What advice would Zeidaks give to other healthcare workers who want to have a similarly positive impact?

Zeidaks urges “Anyone with an idea for greening and reducing waste should discuss with their supervisor and then email other staff members.  All department staff members have to feel included and on board in order for positive changes to occur. I believe we all can work together to be less wasteful.”

Interested in learning how you can  improve the environmental performance of your workplace? Take the “Going Green at Work” online course via the Learning Hub or CCRS.