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Surgery Center of Arlington
Centering on Recycling
 Surgery
Center of Arlington is an outpatient surgery center affiliated with
local surgeons, United Surgical Partners, and Baylor Health Care System. The
center has been operating in Arlington for over nine years. They offer a
variety of surgical services, including orthopedic, gynecological, general,
bariatric, podiatric and pain management. They recently started efforts to
“go green” by setting up a recycling program for staff, patients and
visitors.
The Surgery Center staff started talking about recycling in the summer of
2008 when they noticed just how much they were throwing away. “It was mostly
water bottles, canned drinks, and cardboard,” says recycling coordinator and
registered nurse, D’Ann Shidler. She called several local recycling
companies to find out about the services offered.
Staff education and program setup was fairly straightforward. The staff
was educated about what items could be put into the recycling bins. Signs
were posted to remind staff to recycle, but also to inform visitors and
Center patients about the program. “There were a few bumps getting the
surgeons and assistants to change their habits, but after a few weeks of
monitoring the collection bins and giving ‘gentle reminders’ about accepted
materials for recycling, participation went up and contamination went down,”
 says
Shidler. “The custodial staff deserves special recognition for their
enthusiasm towards recycling and their willingness to change their trash
removal habits to accommodate recycling disposal as well.” says Debbie
McLeod, Administrator of Surgery Center of Arlington.
The program has been so successful and participation so high, that since
the program’s inception in September, the Center has had to increase their
recycling pick-up service from once every two weeks to once a week. Because
of the program, they have seen a 30 percent reduction in their daily trash.
The Surgery Center of Arlington has definitely taken their recycling efforts
to heart.
“We are excited about doing our part to go GREEN in Arlington, Texas!”
says McLeod.
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