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The Potential Impacts of Single-use Plastic During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2025

Kelly R. Klein ,
Jennifer Trumbo ,
Deborah Saber  and
Astha Kakkad
Kelly R. Klein*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME, and University of Maine - Institute of Medicine, Orono, ME, USA
Jennifer Trumbo
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Research, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME, USA
Deborah Saber
Affiliation:
Nursing, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
Astha Kakkad
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Research, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME, USA
*
Corresponding author: Kelly Klein; Email: KKlein@northernlight.org
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Abstract

Objectives

Plastics in the environment have moved from an “eye-sore” to a public health threat. Hospitals are one of the biggest users of single-use plastics, and there is growing literature looking at not only plastics in the environment but health care’s overall contribution to its growth.

Methods

This study was a retrospective review at a 411-bed level II trauma hospital over 47 months pre and post the last wave of COVID-19 affecting this hospital. Deidentified data were gathered: daily census in the emergency department, hospital census, and corresponding number of admitted COVID-19 patients. Additionally, for the same time frame, personal protective equipment (PPE) supply purchases and gross tonnage of nonhazardous refuse were obtained.

Results

There was a large increase in PPE purchased without a significant change in gross tonnage of weight of trash.

Conclusions

PPE is incredibly important to protect health care workers. However, single-use plastic is not sustainable for the environment or public health. Understanding the full effect of the pandemic on hospital waste production is critically important as health care institutions focus on strategies to decrease their carbon footprint and increase positive impacts on public health and the environment.

Keywords

COVID-19microplasticperson protective equipmentplasticspublic healthrecycling
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e19
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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