McGill University generates many kinds of residual materials. In addition to paper, cardboard, electronics, scrap metal, compostables, glass, plastic and metals, our laboratory activities also generate a significant quantity of hazardous wastes. Within this category, biomedical wastes constitute a separate waste flow.
The University just awarded a new contract to Stericycle for the provisioning of reusable plastic containers and the collection and treatment of biomedical wastes. These biomedical wastes consist of two streams: “anatomical waste” and “non-anatomical waste”. McGill generates approximately 1 tonne of biomedical waste per week.
“McGill research activities generate over 50 tons of biomedical waste per year, representing the largest hazardous waste stream on campus,” explains Christian Bouchard. “Most of our non-anatomical waste can be treated and disposed in Quebec, but our anatomical and cytotoxic waste must be incinerated in Ontario as well as Baltimore (MD, USA), which affects our carbon footprint. Proper sorting practices and waste categorisation is important to ensure that the waste ends up in the proper disposal facility. It is an ongoing process with the research community to provide the tools and support them to help achieve that goal.”
As part of McGill’s due diligence, Christian Bouchard (Associate Director, EHS), Ruth Blanchette (Biosafety Officer), and Dr. Stéphanie Leclerc (Program Manager, Sustainable Procurement) visited Stericycle’s facility in Saint-Rémi, on the South Shore.
EHS uses a detailed questionnaire and carries out a full visit to identify any potential environmental and health risks. The audit covers elements such as safety and emergency protocols, the training of employees, the availability and use of protective equipment, the safety of the machinery and tools being used, air quality monitoring, and so on. The audit also determines whether regulatory requirements for the disposal of the biomedical waste are being met. Technically, McGill’s signature of the contract is conditional on the company successfully passing the audit.
After the visit, the company receives a detailed report which may contain a series of recommendations as part of a continuous improvement effort. EHS may ask for proof of implementation of the recommendations.
“It is such a privilege to go on these audits with EHS", says Stéphanie, from Procurement Services. “Christian and Ruth have a very keen eye and are very knowledgeable. This helps me understand the importance of health and safety as part of Sustainable Procurement activities. We also have complementary perspectives. In addition to listening carefully to the answers to EHS’s questions, I tend to ask questions about the company’s sustainability profile, their commitment to reducing emissions, their energy consumption, their circularity initiatives and how they interact with their local community.”
The McGill team got to see, first-hand, Stericycle’s operations in full action. Anatomical waste is sorted and sent to an incinerator in Ontario. The team got up close to a series of robots which emptied containers of sharps into various bins before their contents were sent with other non-anatomical but contaminated wastes and then fed into a giant autoclave. The sterilized materials are then compacted and sent to landfill. This means that at the moment, some sterilized metals are sent to landfill, unfortunately.
The transportation and treatment of this kind of waste is costly and generates real impacts. It is important that only contaminated wastes be sent to Stericycle. McGill’s Sustainable Labs Working Group, and the Office of Sustainability raise awareness about proper sorting practices to reduce the number of materials destined for landfill. Additionally, many non-hazardous lab materials are now accepted in the recycling and compost bins; consult the guides for more details.