All Used Injection Devices Recycled; Next
Stage of Pilot to Expand Regionally, Add Medical
Devices
FRANKLIN
LAKES, N.J. and RUTLAND,
Vt., Oct. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BD (Becton,
Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), a leading global medical
technology company, and Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST)
(Casella), a solid waste, recycling, and resource management
services company, today announced the most recent results of a
recycling pilot to manage discarded syringes and needles that led
to 40,000 pounds of medical waste being recycled and diverted from
disposal.
Health care facilities are a major consumer of syringes, which
have been particularly difficult to recycle due to the various
components and steps involved in the process, including safe
handling of medical waste and treating and sterilizing materials
before they can be re-introduced for recycling. This recycling
pilot helps address a historic challenge within the health care
industry – which generates more than 3 billion pounds of plastic
waste in the U.S. alone.i
The circular economy pilot, which took place in the first half
of 2023, was the first large-scale effort to assess the feasibility
of recycling medical waste found in red sharps containers. These
containers included a broad range of medical equipment and
materials, primarily syringes and needles. The medical waste was
collected across a variety of health care facilities and all of the
plastics were diverted from disposal and recycled. The pilot also
assessed technical feasibility of two types of technology –
mechanical and advanced recycling – both showing favorable results
in their ability to successfully recycle used medical devices for
use in other products.
"Needles and syringes help enable a wide range of critical
medical treatments and care, but they require plastic for
production -- which generates waste and is one of the most relevant
environmental issues facing the health care industry today," said
Chee Lum, vice president and general
manager of injection systems for BD. "At BD, we are committed to
reducing the environmental impact of our portfolio, and the results
of this study show that by working together with industry partners,
we can drive sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on
the health of our planet and communities."
The next stage of the pilot program will expand regionally to
additional hospitals and non-acute care facilities. The teams will
also increase focus to cover other types of
medical materials for recycling, as well as reclaiming the
used devices and returning them to the manufacturing process.
"This pilot showcases the strength of collaborative partnerships
when it comes to sustainable material management practices," said
Casella Chairman and CEO, John W.
Casella. "We are excited to find an opportunity to provide
our expertise and services to a forward-thinking customer like BD
to help enable new streams of sustainability and resource
management. We're pleased with the outcome of this first phase and
look forward to continuing to expand on these results and provide
solutions to one of health care's most pressing waste issues."
Over the last decade, BD and Casella have partnered to recover,
process and recycle waste at BD sites across the U.S. BD is
addressing the impact of its devices from cradle to grave
ultimately progressing toward its 2030+ environmental, social and
governance goals. To learn more about the BD ESG goals, visit
https://news.bd.com/esg. To learn more about Casella, visit the
company's website at www.casella.com.
About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical
technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of
health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery
of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of
health care by developing innovative technology, services and
solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and
clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 77,000
employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety
and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable
laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance
researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of
diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every
country and partners with organizations around the world to address
some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in
close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes,
lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand
access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit
bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at
www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ and Twitter @BDandCo.
About Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
Casella Waste
Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rutland,
Vermont, is one of the largest recyclers and most
experienced fully integrated resource management companies in the
Eastern United States. Founded in
1975 as a single truck collection service, Casella has grown its
operations to provide solid waste collection and disposal,
transfer, recycling, and organics services to more than one million
residential, commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial
customers and provides professional resource management services in
more than 40 states.
Contacts:
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Media:
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Investors:
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Alyssa
Kretlow
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Adam Reiffe
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BD Corporate
Communications
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BD Investor
Relations
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551.238.4391
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201.847.6927
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alyssa.kretlow@bd.com
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adam.reiffe@bd.com
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Jeff Weld
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Jason Mead
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Director of
Communications, Casella
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SVP of Finance &
Treasurer, Casella
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802.772.2234
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802.772.2293
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jeff.weld@casella.com
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jason.mead@casella.com
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i Rizan C, Mortimer F, Stancliffe R, Bhutta MF.
Plastics in healthcare: time for a re-evaluation. Journal of the
Royal Society of Medicine. 2020;113(2):49-53.
doi:10.1177/0141076819890554
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SOURCE BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company)