HPRC Publishes Final White Paper on Advanced Recycling for Plastic Hospital Waste

April 9, 2025 /3BL/ - The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) announces the completion of its groundbreaking multi-year project on the advanced recycling of hospital waste. The final white paper, detailing the extensive research and key findings, is now published and available for industry stakeholders.

Scope of Work

The project aimed to assess the feasibility of using advanced recycling technologies to process mixed plastics from pre-surgical and laboratory areas in hospitals. Spanning from 2022 to 2024, this multi-phase initiative involved real-world collection and analysis of healthcare plastics waste streams, showcasing their potential as valuable feedstocks for advanced recycling.

The project was a collaborative effort led by HPRC members and involved leading hospitals including Cleveland Clinic, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Sharp Healthcare, Palomar Health and others. Several advanced recycling companies also participated in the testing and analysis of collected plastic hospital waste and included Alterra Energy, Eastman, Brightmark, PureCycle, Resynergi, Cecilia Energy and Nexus Circular.

“It was really great to see the value-chain collaboration and hands-on engagement from HPRC members – this pilot would not have been successful without these and I’m very proud to have been a part of it,” shared one of the project leaders, Katherine Hofmann, Sustainability Strategic Initiatives Manager at Eastman. “By digging in with real world waste collection, sortation, and analysis, we were able to understand first-hand the existing barriers and real constraints across the full system while also recognizing the hope that advanced recycling can provide to the medical industry.”

Key Findings

The project yielded several significant insights:

• Healthcare plastics are high-quality feedstocks for advanced recycling technologies, producing high yields of new materials.
• Polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene were found to be the most suitable materials for advanced recycling.
• Challenges such as contamination and the need for additional sortation were identified, highlighting the importance of packaging design and staff education.
• Advanced recycling technologies can successfully convert hospital waste into valuable products, supporting a circular economy in healthcare.

This project underscores the viability of advanced recycling in managing healthcare plastics waste, paving the way for more sustainable practices within the medical sector.

“This project proves that hospital plastics aren’t just waste—they’re a valuable resource for building a circular economy in healthcare. Our findings demonstrate the real-world potential of advanced recycling to transform how the industry manages plastic materials,” explains Zach Muscato, project leader and Corporate Sustainability Manager at Plastic Ingenuity.

The HPRC’s final white paper serves as a comprehensive guide for hospitals, recyclers, and manufacturers seeking to implement similar initiatives around plastic waste reduction, recycling and circularity.

For more information and access to the white paper, please visit HPRC’s website.

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Made up of more than 30 brand-leading and globally recognized members collectively representing greater than $1.3 trillion in market value, HPRC explores ways to enhance the economics, efficiency, and ultimately the quality and quantity of healthcare plastics collected for recycling in support of a circular plastics economy. HPRC is active across the United States and Europe working with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and participating in industry events and forums. For more information, visit www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.