1

Before You Begin

Checklist to Assess Readiness

Use this checklist to see if your hospital is ready to consider a plastic recycling program.

What is the Hospital’s Passion for Sustainability?

Is there a commitment from executive leadership?

Will executive management endorse and support this program?

Is plastics recycling aligned with your hospital’s sustainability strategy?

Are Key Stakeholders Engaged and Committed?

Have key stakeholders been identified? Consider Department Chairs, Department Leaders, Departmental Green

Champions, Nursing Teams, Environmental Services, and other groups that will be key to a successful recycling program.

Do the majority of key stakeholders agree with a plastics recycling program?

Are employees passionate about sustainability and recycling?

Will there be any staff concerns or union contract negotiations required?

Consider the Timing

Is your hospital ready for a new sustainability initiative? Implementation or new initiative fatigue can be an issue.

Are other recycling programs already implemented and operating smoothly?

Can this recycling initiative be combined with another recycling initiative or another sustainability

initiative?

Can this recycling initiative be added as part of enhancing or streamlining an existing recycling

program?

If the majority of these boxes are checked, your hospital is ready to evaluate implementation of a healthcare

plastics recycling program. If several boxes remain unchecked, the Guide to Developing a Business Case

Tool may be useful to demonstrate the benefits and gain the support and approval needed to implement a

healthcare plastics recycling program in your hospital.