LEXINGTON, KY. (February 25, 2020) — Medical waste is causing problems at Lexington’s Recycle Center at an increasing rate. Its presence causes serious safety issues for employees working the line. It also results in material being sent to the landfill, much of which could have been recycled.
The highest impact offenders are needles, dialysis bags and tubes, IV bags and tubes and vials. These are biohazards that pose a threat to the people who play a vital role in the sorting process. The Recycle Center staff do their best to catch these contaminants in the room where the trucks dump their loads, but medical waste still makes its way onto the sorting line.
When the material enters the line, the risks have serious consequences. Employees have been stuck by needles, which requires medical treatment. The dialysis and IV tubes wrap around moving parts of the machinery. People have to climb into the machines and cut them out, causing downtime. If any of the biohazard material makes its way through the complete sorting process and into a bale of materials, companies won’t purchase sorted materials from us. If we don’t have buyers, we can’t recycle.
Medical waste that is caught on the tipping floor is carefully removed and set aside for special disposal. When medical waste is discovered on the sorting line, it is also removed and properly disposed of. However, once the medical waste is on the sorting line, all material that is currently in the process of being sorted is cleared from the line and sent to the landfill. Employees no longer touch the material. The equipment is examined and, if necessary, decontaminated. A medical waste incident can stop the work of the Recycle Center for several hours. In addition to the safety factor, this also helps ensure that the Recycle Center doesn’t send contaminated bales to a buyer.
Though the problem is serious, the solution is simple. Dispose of medical waste properly. It is not recyclable. Put it with biohazard or landfill-bound waste.
It’s clear that Central Kentucky is passionate about recycling. It’s important, however, that participants recycle right. You can support the program by helping inform your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about proper recycling and why it’s important.
More information, along with downloadable flyers on what can be recycled, can be found at LexingtonKY.gov/Recycling.
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