1 Collecting & Managing Data: Why Bother? John Leigh Recycling & Waste Management Coordinator Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Lebanon, New Hampshire $/ton $$ HWHW tons lbs MS W RM W 50 %

2 Agenda Data, What Data? Why? What am I going to do with it? Okay then, how do I collect it without having it take up all my time? Once gathered, how do I make sense of it? Can’t I just steal your spreadsheet template and modify it for my own program? (yes!) Walk me through a spreadsheet? Yuck! Lots of Q & A

3 What kind of data? Amount of waste –Weight By Category & Material Type Costs Revenues Avoided costs Ultimately calculate: –Rates –Trends –Future estimates $/ton $ HWHW tons lbs MS W RM W 50 %

4 Collecting data allows you to: Establish a baseline Track changes (generation, costs, composition) Generate ideas, prioritize actions, set goals Measure progress, see what needs more attention Quantify, report & celebrate achievements

5 Good data management allows you to… Utilize information for decision making Better manage your: –Haulers –Processors –Equipment –Budget $/ton $ HWHW tons lbs MS W RM W 50 %

6 Good data management allows you to… Advocate environmental initiatives backed by cost avoidance figures Justify: –Labor requests –Capital expenditures –Space requests –A new waste management position!

7 Ultimately, one can… Track generation rates & changes by department Track generation rates on a per hospital activity basis Compare with other hospitals Compare with national averages

8 Make data collection easier… Unbundle hauler charges (know your fees/rates for hauling, tipping, processing, equipment leasing) Pay by weight, not volume or frequency Get comfortable with MS Excel Buy a good scale and weigh as much as is practical

9

10

11 Resources H2E’s Self Assessment Guide EPA’s Vol.-to-Weight Conversion Factors hw/recycle/recmeas/docs/guide_b.pdf (link to full Recycling Measurement Guide:)