Abstract

Objective: While operating room waste has been extensively studied through waste audits, the environmental impact of waste in pain procedure suites remains largely unexplored. This study aims to quantify the waste mass of the three pain procedure suites at the University of California, San Diego. Design: We conducted a comprehensive waste audit of procedures performed for chronic pain by measuring the amount and type of nonbiohazardous waste, sharp waste, and pharmaceutical waste generated. Methods: Solid, nonbiohazardous waste was measured by weighing and sorting waste collected from three pain procedure rooms in a standardized fashion over two five-day periods. Sharp and pharmaceutical waste was weighed by environmental service staff over a three-month period and extrapolated to two five-day periods to match nonbiohazardous waste measurements. Results: A total of 136.0 kg of nonbiohazardous waste was measured over the two five-day time periods. Packaging comprised the largest portion of nonbiohazardous waste, accounting for 21.9% of the total waste. Other significant contributors included personal protective equipment (17.7%, 24.0 kg) and kit blue wrap (7.8%, 10.7 kg). The average weight of pharmaceutical and sharp waste was 0.48 kg and 0.49 kg per day per room, respectively.

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