The Operating Department at St Martha’s Regional Hospital in Antigonish is the first in the province to go green.
During a recent town council meeting, the Green Team was recognized for their efforts to reduce waste in the OR.
Operating room nurse Lauren Hoh says the Green Team was first established in 2012.
She says a lot of the waste was previously considered to be hazardous, but has since been reclassified which allows them to recycle instead of incinerate much of it.
This has not only allowed for a more environmentally friendly approach by using some of the plastic material to build synthetic lumber, but also saves the hospital money by cutting back on transportation and incineration costs.
As of now, St. Martha’s is the only hospital in Nova Scotia to have such a program and Hoh says the Operating Department is one of the only areas of this hospital doing so as well.
