B. Braun and Lehigh Valley Health Network partner to recycle medical plastics material

B. Braun Medical Inc., an infusion therapy and pain management company based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, says it has been awarded a $72,500 state grant to fund a medical plastics material recycling pilot project in the Lehigh Valley. The project will investigate the use of advanced technology to recycle nonhazardous plastic material.  

The material will be sourced from B. Braun's medical device manufacturing plant in Hanover Township and Lehigh Valley Health Network's Cedar Crest Hospital, based in Pennsylvania. The companies are working with PureCycle Technologies, which uses patented technology to separate color, odor and other contaminants from nonhazardous end-of-life plastic feedstock to transform it into virgin-like recycled polypropylene.   

High-volume plastics such as packaging materials, nonpolyvinyl chloride IV bags, disposable gowns and masks and irrigation bottles used at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest and scrap materials generated at B. Braun's medical device manufacturing plant in Hanover Township will be targeted for collection and recycling.  

Braun says the grant will help offset the cost of purchasing recycling collection equipment, preparing a third-party project evaluation report, and project administration. The demonstration project is expected to be operational early in 2023.   

"This project provides an opportunity to make a big impact on the growing challenge of reducing plastic waste from hospitals in our health care system," says Sen. Pat Browne, chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee. Browne helped secure the grant to help pay for the pilot project.  

According to the Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council, U.S. hospitals generate about 28 million pounds of waste daily, with 20 percent to 25 percent of that being plastic products and packaging. Only a small percentage of these plastics are recycled.  

"Our goal is to define a clear roadmap for recycling plastic waste streams in the healthcare system," says Katherine Velekei, supervisor of sustainability for the Lehigh Valley Health Network. "By testing the technical and economic viability of this project, we will be one step closer to developing a sustainable, circular economy solution for medical plastic waste, which is central to our mission of creating a healthy environment for our patients and communities."  

The project helps advance B. Braun's sustainability strategy by reducing its environmental footprint. It also allows B. Braun to support the sustainability objectives of Lehigh Valley Health Network, one of Pennsylvania's leading health systems, according to Christian Hutter, associate director of sustainability and packaging for B. Braun.   

The concept for a medical plastics recycling project came from B. Braun's testimony in 2021 before the Pennsylvania Senate Economy, Business and Jobs Caucus and follow-up discussions with Pennsylvania Sen. Lisa Boscola, co-chair of the Caucus.   

"The buildup of plastics in our ecosystem is a serious issue that needs to be addressed at multiple levels," Sen. Boscola says. "This initiative is a great example of how government and industry can work together to find solutions to the problem."