Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Case Study
The Challenge
- Leading health care provider and research institution serving over 1.5 million patients in northern New England
- Mission to achieve the highest possible levels of public health, while maintaining position at the forefront of developing environmental best practices for the healthcare sector
- Carefully examining waste footprint to find ways to improve impact on the environment while also reducing costs
The Solution
- Casella provided reliable waste and recycling services for over a decade, facilitating the development of a strong working relationship
- Shifted from a four-stream, hand-separated recycling program to Zero-Sort®, saving valuable time and effort, and increasing recycling levels
- In partnership, DHMC and Casella developed recycling solutions for many of the individual waste streams, including construction & demolition debris, mixed metals, sterilization wrap, plastic film, and food waste
- Through a revenue sharing arrangement, Casella helps market over 500 tons of white ledger, mixed paper, and corrugated cardboard material generated per year
- Management of multiple daily pick-ups at multiple locations, coordination of compactor installations, equipment upgrades and repairs, and careful attention to detail
The Results
- Zero-Sort freed up time and space to accommodate recycling and diversion of additional streams
- Source-separated white ledger and corrugated cardboard continues to provide a valuable revenue stream for the hospital
- DHMC has earned the prestigious Practice Green Health Environmental Leadership award for ten years running