Iowa Health System hospitals have been chosen to receive Iowa Recycling Association’s Murray J. Fox Recycling Innovation Award for success in medical supplies remanufacturing. The award is one of seven Iowa Recycling Awards given every year to businesses, organizations and individuals who demonstrate excellence in recycling.

Iowa Health System has initiated three programs to remanufacture, reprocess and recycle medical supplies that would otherwise end up in landfills. Through these innovative programs, medical supplies are now sterilized and reused, made into new instruments or broken down to construct anything from park benches to tires. As a result, IHS affiliates have eliminated thousands of pounds of landfill waste and saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Iowa Recycling Awards were presented October 5 at the 2010 Iowa Recycling and Solid Waste Management Awards Luncheon held at the Isle Casino Hotel and Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf.

Medical-supplies remanufacturing is just one of the numerous sustainability initiatives to which Iowa Health System and its affiliate hospitals are strongly committed. We work together to reduce waste, decrease energy use and create a cleaner environment for the communities we serve.

 Key accomplishments include: 

• Centralized laundry facility with highly efficient equipment saves energy and uses 80 percent less water than most conventional washers
• Clinical plastic recycling program ensures 60,000 pounds of plastic are diverted from community landfills each year
• Fiber recycling process allows for the recycling of at least 160,000 pounds of paper and cardboard annually
• Energy saving measures, including structural enhancements, increase building efficiency and reduce hospitals' carbon footprint
• Food waste reduction efforts improve production practices, decreasing food waste by more than 400,000 pounds since 2008
• Internal green forum provides employees the opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions related to sustainability practices