Abstract
Hospitals face growing environmental and operational challenges associated with waste generation and management as healthcare systems continue to expand and produce more than 6 million tons of waste annually in the United States. One major contributor to this waste stream is blue sterilization wrap, a single use spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) polypropylene material used to maintain the sterility of surgical instruments in operating rooms. Blue wrap alone accounts for nearly 19% of surgical department waste and contributes to the estimated 255 million pounds of hospital plastic waste generated each year in the United States. Because polypropylene is nonbiodegradable and difficult to recycle through conventional waste systems, most blue wrap is ultimately landfilled or incinerated, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, microplastic pollution, and excessive resource consumption. At the University of Virginia (UVA) Hospital, approximately 12 tons of blue wrap are discarded annually, yet there is currently no formal large-scale recycling or material recovery process in place. At the same time, hospitals rely heavily on frontline healthcare workers to properly sort and manage waste materials in order for sustainability initiatives to succeed. However, workplace burnout among healthcare staff may reduce participation in nonclinical responsibilities such as recycling and waste segregation, creating additional barriers to implementing sustainable waste management systems. The central problem examined across these reports is the following: How can hospitals develop sustainable and effective waste management systems while accounting for both the technical and human factors that influence implementation? The two projects approach this challenge from complementary perspectives, one through technical analysis and material recovery solutions, and the other through a sociotechnical investigation of burnout and staff participation in sustainability practices.
The technical report focuses on evaluating the environmental impact of blue wrap waste at UVA Hospital and investigating whether the material can be sustainably repurposed. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was conducted to quantify the environmental burden associated with blue wrap disposal, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and water usage. The analysis found that annual blue wrap disposal at UVA Hospital contributes approximately 22,901.12 kg of CO₂ emissions, 5,248.04 MJ of energy consumption, and 169.38 m³ of water usage. To determine whether blue wrap could be effectively recycled, a series of processing and material experiments were conducted. These experiments measured the labor required to remove adhesive labels and sterilization tape and tested methods for melting and reforming the material. Results demonstrated that blue wrap could be successfully melted and reshaped into new materials, particularly when smaller molds and improved preprocessing techniques were used. Additional FTIR and tensile strength testing revealed that recycled blue wrap retained many characteristics of polypropylene, although some inconsistencies in material integrity remained. Based on these findings, the report proposes a pilot recycling program for UVA Hospital that would establish a circular system for collecting, processing, remanufacturing, and redistributing blue wrap into reusable hospital products. The report ultimately concludes that blue wrap recycling has strong potential as a scalable sustainability initiative capable of reducing hospital waste and minimizing environmental impact.
The STS research paper examines how burnout among emergency department (ED) staff may affect participation in hospital sustainability initiatives, particularly recycling and waste management practices. Using Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a sociotechnical framework, the paper analyzes how interactions between healthcare workers, institutional policies, and waste management systems influence the success of environmental initiatives within hospitals. To investigate this relationship, a survey incorporating the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory (aMBI) was distributed to ED staff at UVA Hospital to measure emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, and attitudes toward waste disposal practices. The findings revealed that while many participants reported high levels of personal accomplishment, moderate emotional exhaustion was also present among staff. Survey responses showed that although most participants considered proper waste disposal important, awareness of existing waste management protocols and perceptions of their effectiveness varied significantly. The paper argues that burnout can weaken participation in sustainability initiatives by reducing staff engagement with nonclinical responsibilities, especially within high pressure healthcare environments. The study concludes that successful hospital sustainability initiatives require not only effective technical systems, but also organizational support, clear communication, and attention to healthcare worker well-being to encourage consistent participation in sustainability initiatives.
These projects demonstrate that improving sustainability within healthcare systems requires both technical innovation and an understanding of the human factors that influence implementation. The technical project establishes that blue wrap waste can be repurposed through structured recycling and remanufacturing systems, while the STS research highlights how healthcare worker burnout and workplace culture may impact the effectiveness of sustainability initiatives. When examined alongside one another, the projects reveal that even technically feasible environmental solutions may struggle to succeed without strong institutional support, staff engagement, and systems that integrate smoothly into clinical workflows. Future work should focus on implementing the proposed blue wrap recycling pilot program at UVA Hospital, improving recycled material consistency through advanced manufacturing methods, and further examining how organizational support and burnout influence staff participation in sustainability initiatives. By combining sustainable waste management practices with strategies that support healthcare worker well-being, hospitals may be able to create more effective, scalable, and resilient environmental programs that reduce waste while strengthening long term institutional sustainability.
