Hospital Patients Cut 45% of Plastic With Reusable Bags

Asking surgery patients to pack their own reusable bag turned out to be one of the easiest ways to cut hospital waste.

Three hospitals in Ontario, Canada, tested whether patients would bring their own bags and water bottles to day surgery appointments. The results surprised even the organizers: up to 87% of patients brought reusable bags, and at one location, 80% brought their own water bottles.

Dr. Julie Strychowsky, a pediatric surgeon at Children's Hospital in London, Ontario, led the initiative. Operating rooms generate 20% to 30% of all hospital waste and use three to six times more energy than regular hospital units, making them a prime target for environmental improvements.

The three hospitals used a straightforward approach. Staff educated patients ahead of their surgeries and encouraged them to bring reusable items from home. No complicated systems or expensive equipment required.

Over one year, the hospitals reduced plastic bag purchases by 45.7%. That translated to 252 kilograms (555 pounds) of waste prevented and carbon emissions equivalent to driving 10,393 kilometers. The hospitals also saved $1,259.55 in procurement costs.

At Nazem Kadri Surgical Centre, 87% of patients brought reusable bags. Victoria Hospital and University Hospital saw 78% and 60% participation respectively. All three exceeded their original goal of 50% participation for bags.

The Ripple Effect

The success sparked interest across Ontario's healthcare system. Other hospitals reached out wanting to start similar programs because the initiative required minimal effort but delivered measurable impact.

Fiona Miller, director of the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health, and Sustainable Care at the University of Toronto, noted that teams across different hospitals felt motivated by collective action. Everyone from secretaries to surgeons to nurses got to contribute to something meaningful together.

The program faced some hurdles around change management and getting different departments aligned. Success required early engagement with surgeons, nursing staff, and infection control teams to ensure patient safety remained the top priority.

Dr. Strychowsky believes individual clinicians can drive change even without formal programs. Asking simple questions like "Do we need this?" or "Is there a reusable option?" during procedures can spark institutional shifts. Small changes build momentum for bigger transformations.

Some British Columbia health authorities took a different approach by purchasing reusable linen bags for patients to use. Both strategies work toward the same goal of reducing single-use plastics in healthcare settings.

Most patients and staff agreed that bringing reusable bags to surgery was easy, proving that sustainable healthcare doesn't have to be complicated.