Waste and Recycling

Protecting our patients, employees, and the planet by minimizing waste and increasing recycling is a priority for the Mount Sinai Health System. We are a Must Recycle health system and Sustain Mount Sinai is working to develop systems that make it easier for everyone to recycle. In 2008, The Mount Sinai Hospital instituted a careful recycling plan, which has led to tons of waste being diverted from landfills.

Types of waste collected by Mount Sinai:

  • Red bag/Laboratory Hazard waste
  • E-waste
  • Compost
  • Operating room plastic
  • Office recycling

All businesses in New York City are required to recycle certain materials and ensure to the best of their ability that those recyclable materials are properly handled by their private carter. Business recycling is different from residential recycling. To learn more, visit the NYC Department of Sanitation’s website.

View recycling FAQs

Hazardous Waste

Management of Hazardous Waste

  • Medical waste should be properly collected and segregated from other non-hazardous waste in specific color-coded recepticles.
  • Storage spaces for hazardous waste should be available.
  • Transporation of hazardous waste should be well mapped and conveyed by special carts.
  • Workforce handling waste should be thoroughly trained.
  • Necessary methods for final treatment of waste should be available.

The management of hospital-generated waste is not only the responsibility of hospital administration but also of every department and every health care-providing personnel in the Mount Sinai Health System. Proper chemical management is crucial to control pollution and to promote environmental health and safety. Mount Sinai’s Division of Environmental Health and Safety (EnvHS) encourages all laboratories to practice chemical waste minimization by implementing the following best practices:

  • Make sure chemicals are stored, used, and disposed of safely.
  • If you can, use less toxic or non-toxic chemicals.
  • Take chemical inventory to see if there is a way to order less or use less. Chemical inventory at a campus-wide level can help us track inefficiencies in the system.
  • Keep chemical ordering to a minimum by ordering only what is necessary. Buying in bulk might generate expired or unused chemicals that will become hazardous chemical waste.

At Mount Sinai, we have committed to a mercury-free health system. This means that we do not buy any mercury-containing products such as mercury thermometers and do not allow our staff to bring in any of their own instruments that contain mercury.

E-Waste Recycling

Between 300 and 400 million electronic items are disposed each year in the United States, and less than 20 percent of this e-waste is recycled. E-waste contains toxic heavy metals – such as lead, mercury, and cadmium – and amounts to 70 percent of overall toxic waste. Mount Sinai has partnered with a best-in-class e-waste recycler to ensure all electronic waste is recycled in a compliant and environmentally friendly way.

For additional questions about e-waste recycling activities at Mount Sinai, please contact Environmental Health and Safety at askEHS@mountsinai.org.