Environmental Performance – Hamilton Health Sciences

Our environmental stewardship plan

The development of an Environmental Stewardship Plan (ESP) was identified as one of three streams of work under the new HHS Environmental Management Plan (EMP). The ESP will focus on emissions reductions in the Scope 3 emissions category and also establish other environmental stewardship targets (e.g. waste reduction, corporate greening, food, climate adaptation, etc).

Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions are indirect. These include emissions generated from activities that HHS may be able to influence but not control, such as employee travel, food generation and transportation for patient and staff meals, and the energy used to create and ship the materials and equipment used by the hospital.

We are working to develop a five-year ESP that is able to achieve the goals below:

• Understand our Scope 3 Emissions impacts to put in an evidence-based reduction plan;
• Identify progressive, climate change-ready targets and focus areas which are outcome driven;
• Foster an organizational culture which considers the environmental impact of health care within its operations, human resources and business decisions.

Waste management at HHS

Waste is a direct byproduct of health care operations and our waste stewardship practice must balance our desire to divert waste from landfill and also ensure that hazardous materials are properly disposed of.

To mitigate risk of accidental waste contamination, HHS is limited to how widespread its recycling programs can be in clinical care areas. Instead, recycling is focused in areas such as lobbies, cafeteria, offices and other high waste-generating areas, such as operating rooms and nutrition services.

Changes in the global recycling market since 2019 limit the amount of recyclable materials generated in clinical areas because common high volume items such as plastic film are no longer recyclable. Despite these limitations, we are continually seeking novel ways to reduce waste and increase waste diverted from landfill.

2023 waste-reduction highlights:

• We diverted 37.4 per cent of waste from landfill. Diverted wastes included all blue bin recyclables plus novel programs such as food waste, reprocessable devices and electronics.
• We recycled 33.9 per cent of all waste, compared to our peer group average of 28 per cent
• Implemented narcotic denaturing devices across all hospital sites. Narcotics are now properly denatured and disposed of through incineration rather than incorrectly disposed of into sanitary systems and regular waste streams.
• Introduced the PVC recycling program into more areas of our hospitals
• Piloted a contrast media recycling program in our CT rooms
• Launched “Bring your Own Bottle and Bag” initiative to encourage patients to bring their own reusable bottles and garment bags to reduce single-use plastics for planned hospital stays

Supporting biodiversity

Tree Planting and Pollinator Gardens
Working in collaboration with Trees for Hamilton, a local organization that promotes native tree planting, HHS hosts tree planting events on its properties to support the organization’s mission of improving Hamilton’s tree cover. From 2018-2023, over 60 native tree species and many pollinator plants were added at HGH and SPH. In 2023, we worked with One Bench One Tree to plant another tree and bench at the JHCC site.

HHS Community Gardens
Hamilton General Hospital and Population Health Research Institute partnered with Hamilton Victory Gardens to build a community vegetable garden on the downtown hospital site. Produce grown in the garden was donated to local food banks and meal programs to help reduce food insecurity in Hamilton.

The community garden closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and inability to secure volunteer resources during the vital planting season. A small working group comprising HHS and PHRI staff aimto revitalize the garden for the 2024 growing season and make meaningful improvements to support patient therapy use, such as creating more accessible beds for patients using wheelchairs. Patients can practice functional skills such as bending, reaching and carrying under the guidance of therapy staff.

Food

In 2023, HHS took the Coolfood Pledge and is beginning to identify areas where we can reduce our GHG impact through inpatient and retail food services. Coolfood is an initiative of the World Resource Institute (WRI). The WRI explains that:

• Food production is a significant contributor to climate change, accounting for one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Plant-based foods generally have a much lower environmental impact.
• Simple changes to diets and enjoying more plant-based foods can make a substantial difference for the climate.

The Coolfood Pledge is a commitment to setting and achieving science-based targets to reduce the climate impact of the food we serve. HHS is in the “Plan” stage of the project, where food purchase data analysis is taking place. In 2024, we expect to have our data validated and begin to set targets and then promote changes to our retail and inpatient menu planning.

Procurement

HHS is leading an inter-hospital working group to develop Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) and EDI procurement standards. This work is in its early stages but aims to set minimal standards and then increase requirements over time. This work includes collaborating with suppliers to reduce packaging, product materials and/or ensure packaging and materials are recyclable. In 2023, HHS vendors were advised that their candidacy would be evaluated based on EDI and ESG criteria.
Our goal is to leverage our position as the second largest health care organization in Ontario to make meaningful changes to group purchasing contracts and supply chains with respect to sustainable practices.