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University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers

1500 E. Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Business Overview

Coming soon!

Sustainable Business Practices

The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers operates a waste reduction and recycling program for not only the Main Medical Campus, but for its 43 satellite facilities as well. Overall, the hospital recycles 40-60 tons of material every month including paper, cardboard, plastic containers, batteries, kitchen grease, and plastic bags. However, recycling is only part of their waste management program: polydrums are reused by the U-M Hazmat department for containment, wood pallets are reused by U-M campus stores, campus food supply and outside vendors, furniture and equipment are sent to the U-M property disposition for sale or reuse, and medical dated supplies are donated to World Relief instead of being thrown into the waste stream. The hospital also has an arrangement with OmniSource that provides the hospital with 25 to 35 cents per pound of aluminum donated. Reimbursements from donated pop can tabs have been used to support patient and family programs at C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital. The hospitals reuse program for their bio-hazard buckets used in their Path labs has cut the number of buckets being disposed of in the labs in half, keeping an additional 10.2 tons of materials out of the landfill. Programs such as these, as well as many others in waste reduction, reuse, and recycling programs, have helped the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers divert over 2 million pounds of waste from the landfill. In 2001, for example, through the combined efforts of the hospitals, almost $38,000.00 was saved in disposal costs and much more in purchasing costs.