Achieving the sustainable waste management of medical plastic packaging using a life cycle assessment approach

Yoora Cho; Piumi Amasha Withana; Jay Hyuk Rhee; Song Tak Lim; Juin Yau Lim; Sang Woo Park; Yong Sik Ok

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38185

Achieving the sustainable waste management of medical plastic packaging using a life cycle assessment approach

Heliyon. 2024 Sep 19;10(19):e38185. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38185. eCollection 2024 Oct 15.

Authors

Yoora Cho^{1

2}, Piumi Amasha Withana^{1

2}, Jay Hyuk Rhee^{2

3}, Song Tak Lim⁴, Juin Yau Lim³, Sang Woo Park⁵, Yong Sik Ok^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Korea Biochar Research Center & Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea.
² International ESG Association (IESGA), Seoul, 06621, South Korea.
³ School of Business Administration, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
⁴ Econetwork, Seoul, South Korea.
⁵ Departments of Radiology, Konkuk University Hospital, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Abstract

Hospital waste management often classifies all waste, including uncontaminated plastic packaging, as hazardous, leading to incineration as the primary treatment method. While effective for safe treatment, incineration incurs high costs and significant environmental impacts. This study explores an alternative approach through the segregation and sustainable management of plastic packaging waste derived from medical device use to mitigate these environmental consequences. Using a Life Cycle Assessment, this research evaluates and compares the environmental impacts of three waste disposal scenarios of plastic packaging: hazardous waste incineration, general waste landfill, and plastic recycling. The analysis focuses on 1 kg of plastic packaging waste generated from medical devices at the Limb Vascular Center, Konkuk University Hospital, South Korea. The results show that general waste landfill has an environmental impact of 79.7 % and plastic recycling has an impact of just 11.8 %, highlighting their significantly lower environmental impacts compared to hazardous waste incineration. These findings underscore the significant benefits of adopting more sustainable waste management practices in healthcare and offering valuable insights for enhancing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices within hospitals.

Keywords: Circular economy; Environmental sustainability; Medical device packaging waste; Plastic pollution; SDG 12 responsible consumption and production; SDG 13 climate action; SDG 3 good health and well-being.