The state recently awarded B. Braun Medical, an infusion therapy and pharmacy products company, a $72,500 grant to fund a medical plastics waste recycling pilot project in the Lehigh Valley.
Funding will help offset the cost of purchasing recycling collection equipment, preparing a third-party project evaluation report, and project administration.
The project will take nonhazardous plastic waste from B. Braun’s medical device manufacturing plant in Hanover Township and Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Cedar Crest Hospital and investigate the use of advanced technology to recycle the waste.
“Our goal is to define a clear roadmap for recycling plastic waste streams in the healthcare system,” Katherine Velekei, Lehigh Valley Health Network supervisor of sustainability, said. “By testing the technical and economic viability of this project, we will be one step closer to developing a sustainable, circular economy solution for medical plastic waste, which is central to our mission of creating a healthy environment for our patients and communities.”
The project will be operational early in 2023 and is part of B. Braun’s sustainability strategy.
According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, U.S. hospitals generate approximately 28 million pounds of waste daily.
Headquartered in Bethlehem, Braun Medical employs 8,500 people at more than 30 locations in North America.