Five Ways Dentists Can Protect the Environment

As with any business, particularly a healthcare facility, dental offices have their own recycling challenges. Finding ways to reduce and reuse waste is not always possible, but every effort is made toward that goal. Medical wastes and toxic wastes, which are both part of everyday life in a dental facility, present further challenges than standard office wastes

Dental offices handle a variety of waste types. Five of those include non hazardous material, sharps, biomedical wastes, mercury substances and lead-based products. Each type of waste poses different environmental and health concerns, and different steps are used for each type of waste material.

Non-hazardous wastes

When considering recycling and reducing waste, non-hazardous material, such as paper, corrugated, aluminum and plastics are at the top of the list. The best solution is to reduce whenever possible and properly recycle the rest. In some cases, additional steps must be taken, such as with confidential documents, which should be placed in specially marked containers, and confidential document disposal professionals should be contacted for removal.

Sharps

Dental offices use sharp instruments. If you have ever had a dental treatment that required an area of your gums be numbed, then chances are great you have experienced examples of some of the sharp instruments used. These instruments must be eliminated appropriately to protect environmental concerns as well as people from the hazards these tools pose. Special containers are used for proper disposal of disposable sharp objects.

Biomedical Wastes

Biomedical waste contains items that include bodily fluids like blood. Dental staff can double bag these items in a biomedical waste bag and label properly. They can be refrigerated until removal by a biomedical waste professional.

Mercury-Containing Wastes

One of the biggest culprits for dental mercury wastes is through the use of amalgam fillings. Dental amalgams are used for fillings in teeth. They are the ‘silver’ colored fillings that have been used for more than 150 years. While amalgams have been deemed as safe for use in dental fillings, the mercury contained within them can pose environmental concerns if any scraps or vapors are not properly disposed.

Unused mercury material can be stored in air-tight containers until a certified biomedical waste management professional can be contacted for disposal. However, sometimes accidents happen in the office. If mercury is spilled, mercury spill kits are available for staff. This basically eases cleanup by forming scrap amalgam that can then be recycled. Above all, elemental mercury as well as amalgam materials should never be washed down the drain or placed in the garbage.

Lead-Containing Wastes

Mercury isn’t the only potentially toxic material that is used in dental offices. Oral X-ray packets contain a lead foil inside. Dental offices also use lead aprons. Since high levels of lead can be toxic to people as well as to the environment, proper steps are taken to manage this type of waste. Waste items containing lead should be handed to commercial waste professionals and not thrown in the trash.

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