Unused, leftover and expired medicine and disposal practices among health sciences faculty students in Burdur, Turkey.

Objective: To evaluate the opinions of university-level Health Sciences students about unused, leftover and expired medicine, as well as their disposal practices, and to classify the medicines. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 to May 31, 2023, at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Turkey, and comprised those studying at the Nursing, Nutrition Dietetics and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation departments. Data was collected using Google Forms. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification was used for classifying pharmaceutical active ingredients. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. RESULTS: Of the 373 participants, 272(73%) were females and 101(27%) were males. The overall mean age was 20.8±2.8 years. There were 348(93.3%) subejcts who reported having a total of 845 boxes of leftover and unused medicines in their homes (2.3±1.9 per capita), while 25(6.7%) participants had none. The medicines were stored in the kitchen 261(61.5%) as the storage area, and in the refrigerator 181(40.2%) as the storage unit. The expired medicine was disposed of in the garbage in 328(86.1%) cases. Self-medication was prevalent in 325(87.1%) cases. Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification analysis showed that paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol+caffeine and metamizole sodium was the most common group of leftover and unused medicines 283(81.3%). Conclusion: High prevalence of unused and leftover medicine, disposal of medicine in household garbage, and selfmedication behaviour indicated a serious public health and environmental problem.

Hepatitis B virus infection and its associated factors among medical waste collectors at public health facilities in eastern Ethiopia: a facility-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The risk of hepatitis B virus infection among medical waste handlers who undergo collection, transportation, and disposal of medical wastes in the health institutions is higher due to frequent exposure to contaminated blood and other body fluids. There is limited evidence on the seroprevalence of hepatitis B among medical waste handlers in eastern Ethiopia. The study was aimed at studying the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and associated risk factors among medical waste collectors at health facilities of eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected medical waste collectors from public health facilities in eastern Ethiopia from March to June 2018. A pre-tested and well-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and hepatitis B infection risk factors. A2.5ml venous blood was also collected, centrifuged and the serum was analyzed for hepatitis B surface antigen using the instant hepatitis B surface antigen kit. Descriptive summary measures were done. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to assess the risk of association. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted with 95% CI and all value at P-value < 0.05 was declared statistically significant. RESULTS: From a total of 260 (97.38%) medical waste collectors participated, HBV was detected in 53 (20.4%) of the participants [95%CI; 15.8, 25.6]. No significant differences were observed in the detection rates of HBV with respect to socio-demographic characteristics. In both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis, being unvaccinated (AOR = 6.35; 95%CI = [2.53-15.96], P = 0.001), history of blood transfusion (receiving) (AOR; 3.54; 95%CI; [1.02-12.24], P = 0.046), history of tattooing (AOR = 2.86; 95%CI = [1.12-7.27], p = 0.03), and history of multiple sexual partner (AOR = 10.28; 95%CI = [4.16-25.38], P = 0.001) remained statistically significantly associated with HBsAg positivity. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study identified that HBV infection is high among medical waste collectors in eastern Ethiopia. Immunization and on job health promotion and disease prevention measures should be considered in order to control the risk of HBV infection among medical waste collectors in eastern Ethiopia.

A national survey on attitudes and barriers on recycling and environmental sustainability efforts among Canadian anesthesiologists: an opportunity for knowledge translation.

BACKGROUND: Anesthesia-related activities produce 25% of all operating room (OR) waste and contribute to environmental pollution and climate change. The aim of this study was to document Canadian anesthesiologists' current practice, attitudes towards, and perceived barriers regarding recycling of OR waste and environmental sustainability efforts. METHODS: With Research Ethics Board approval, members of the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society (CAS) completed an online survey consisting of 25 questions assessing current environmentally sustainable practices in anesthesiology and gaps, barriers, and interest in gaining further knowledge on this topic. RESULTS: Four hundred and twenty-six of 2,695 (16%) CAS members responded to the questionnaire. Despite a willingness to recycle at work among most anesthesiologists (393/403, 97.5%), only 122/403 (30.2%) did so. Other sustainability efforts in Canadian ORs included donating unused medical equipment and supplies to medical missions (198/400, 49.5%) and evening shut-off of anesthesia machines and other OR equipment (185/400, 46.3%). Reported barriers to recycling in the OR included a lack of support from hospital/OR leadership (254/400, 63.5%) and inadequate information/education (251/400, 62.8%). Only 122/389 (31.4%) of respondents were aware of any efforts to expand sustainability programs at their institutions but 273/395 (69.1%) of respondents indicated an interest in obtaining further education on the topic. CONCLUSION: Canadian anesthesiologists appear ready to incorporate environmental sustainability in their practice but indicate that significant barriers exist. Our study highlights the need for further educational programs and implementation strategies.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: Les activités liées à l'anesthésie produisent 25 % de tous les déchets en salle d'opération et contribuent à la pollution de l'environnement et au changement climatique. Le but de cette étude était de documenter les pratiques actuelles des anesthésiologistes canadiens, leurs attitudes envers le recyclage des déchets de salle d'opération et les efforts pour la protection de l'environnement, ainsi que les obstacles perçus comme s'y opposant. MéTHODES: Après approbation d'un Comité d'éthique de la recherche, les membres de la Société canadienne des anesthésiologistes (SCA) ont pu remplir une enquête en ligne comportant 25 questions évaluant les pratiques actuelles en anesthésiologie pour un environnement durable ses obstacles, ses lacunes, ainsi que l'intérêt à en savoir plus sur ce sujet. RéSULTATS: Quatre cent vingt-six des 2695 membres (16 %) de la SCA ont répondu au questionnaire. Malgré un désir de recyclage dans le cadre du travail chez la plupart des anesthésiologistes (393/403, 97,5 %), seulement 122/403 (30,2 %) le faisaient. D'autres efforts des salles d'opération canadiennes en faveur de la durabilité incluaient le don de l'équipement médical et des fournitures non utilisés à des missions médicales (198/400, 49,5 %) et la fermeture des appareils d'anesthésie et des autres équipements de la salle d'opération le soir (185/400, 46,3 %). Les obstacles au recyclage en salle d'opération qui ont été mentionnés incluaient une absence de soutien de la part du leadership de l'hôpital/de la salle d'opération (254/400, 63,5 %) et une information/éducation insuffisante sur le sujet (251/400, 62,8 %). Seulement 122 des 389 répondants (31,4 %) étaient au courant d'efforts d'extension des programmes en faveur de l'environnement, mais 273/395 (69,1 %) répondants ont manifesté de l'intérêt à obtenir plus de formation sur le sujet. CONCLUSION: Les anesthésiologistes canadiens semblent prêts à incorporer la protection de l'environnement dans leurs pratiques, mais indiquent qu'il existe des obstacles significatifs. Notre étude souligne le besoin de poursuivre les programmes éducatifs et les stratégies de mise en œuvre.

Detection of Sapoviruses in two biological lines of Tunisian hospital wastewater treatment.

The efficiency of rotating biodisks and natural oxidizing lagoon procedures is investigated at a Tunisian semi-industrial pilot plant, El Menzeh I, where the wastewater is mainly provided by three different neighbouring hospital clinics. Throughout 2011, 102 wastewater samples were collected from the two mentioned wastewater treatment procedures. Results showed that the Sapovirus (SaV) frequency was approximately 29.4% using the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique, and about 16.6% using the conventional RT-PCR. Also, the SaV genogroups and genotypes were identified and genotyping revealed that all of the four Tunisian SaV strains obtained belonged to the two genogroups GIV.1 and GGI.3. In addition, two new genotypes, D and C, were detected. A moderate decrease in the SaV frequencies was observed at the exit of the two treatment processes and the SaV removal rate was around 90% in the natural oxidizing lagoons and 94% in the rotating biodisks procedure showing the temperate sensitivity of these viruses to the implemented biological wastewater. Therefore, an urgent disinfection process should be implemented downstream of the two biological treatment procedures for safe release of treated effluent in the different natural environments. Abbreviations: NoV: Noroviruses; SaV: Sapoviruses; EC: Electrical Conductivity; COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand; BOD5: Biological Oxygen Demand; SS: Suspended Solids; NH4-N: Ammonium Nitrogen; P-PO4: Ortho-Phosphate; AlCl3: aluminum chloride.

Lean and Green Hand Surgery.

Health care in the United States is both expensive and wasteful. The cost of health care in the United States continues to increase every year. Health care spending for 2016 is estimated at $3.35 trillion. Per capita spending ($10,345 per person) is more than twice the average of other developed countries. The United States also leads the world in solid waste production (624,700 metric tons of waste in 2011). The health care industry is second only to the food industry in annual waste production. Each year, health care facilities in the United States produce 4 billion pounds of waste (660 tons per day), with as much as 70%, or around 2.8 billion pounds, produced directly by operating rooms. Waste disposal also accounts for up to 20% of a hospital's annual environmental services budget. Since 1992, waste production by hospitals has increased annually by a rate of at least 15%, due in part to the increased usage of disposables. Reduction in operating room waste would decrease both health care costs and potential environmental hazards. In 2015, the American Association for Hand Surgery along with the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Society for Peripheral Nerve Surgery, and the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery began the "Lean and Green" surgery project to reduce the amount of waste generated by hand surgery. We recently began our own "Lean and Green" project in our institution. Using "minor field sterility" surgical principles and Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT), both surgical costs and surgical waste were decreased while maintaining patient safety and satisfaction. As the current reimbursement model changes from quantity to quality, "Lean and Green" surgery will play a role in the future health care system.

Variability of Greek dental solid waste production by different dentist groups.

The objective of this work was to compare the composition and production rate of Greek dental solid waste (DSW) produced by three dentist groups of Xanthi, Greece, defined according to the country of their dental education/training: (1) dentists educated in Greece and other European Union (EU) countries, (2) dentists educated in Turkey, and (3) dentists educated in former Soviet Union and repatriated to Greece. All DSW produced by a total of 2542 patients in 20 dental practices from Xanthi, Greece, was collected, manually separated, and weighed over a period of four working weeks and classified according to Greek regulations. Production data below are presented as average (standard deviation in parenthesis). The average unit production rates of total DSW were 415(303) and 51.2(19.1) g/patient/day for dentists educated in Greece and other EU countries, 365(160) and 64.0(21.7) g/patient/day for dentists educated in Turkey, and 302(349) and 54.3(46.8) g/patient/day for dentists educated in former Soviet Union. Daily DSW production was correlated with daily number of patients and regression correlations were produced. Statistical analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test was conducted to compare DSW production medians by the three dentist groups. Dentists educated in Turkey had statistically higher median patient-based unit production rates at α = 0.05 for total dental, total hazardous, total infectious, total toxic and domestic-type waste, compared to the other dentist groups.

Investigating Research Gaps of Pharmaceutical take back Events: An Analysis of take back Program Participants' Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Geographic Characteristics and the Public Health Benefits of take back Programs.

Research continues to show that pharmaceutical environmental contamination causes adverse effects to aquatic life. There are also public health risks associated with pharmaceuticals because in-home reserves of medications provide opportunities for accidental poisoning and intentional medication abuse. Pharmaceutical take back programs have been seen as a potential remedy for these issues; however, a thorough review of past programs indicates limited research has been conducted on take back programs. Furthermore, there are significant gaps in take back program research. To address these gaps and ultimately determine if take back programs could improve public health, research was conducted in conjunction with the take back program Denton drug disposal days held in Denton, Texas. Socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic characteristics of Denton drug disposal days participants were investigated using surveys and Geographic Information Systems. Potential impacts of the Denton drug disposal days program on public health were determined by comparing data from Denton drug disposal days events with data supplied by the North Texas Poison Center. Results suggest that Denton drug disposal days events may have prevented accidental poisonings or intentional abuse, however only qualitative comparisons support this statement and there was insufficient empirical evidence to support the conclusion that Denton drug disposal days events were exclusively responsible for public health improvements. An interesting finding was that there was a definitive travel threshold that influenced participation in Denton drug disposal days events. Overall, this study fills some geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic data gaps of take back programs and proposes methods to analyze and improve participation in future take back programs. These methods could also be applied to improve participation in other local environmentally-focused programs such as household hazardous collection events.

[Proper identification, management and transportation of medical waste in a local health unit (AUSL3) in Pistoia, Italy]. / Corretta identificazione, gestione e trasporto dei rifiuti sanitari nell'Azienda Usl 3 di Pistoia.

The present article describes medical waste management in the Local Health Unit AUSL3 of Pistoia, Tuscany (Italy), which involves training and active participation of involved health care personnel, using the Audit tool.

[Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of plants for disinfection of medical waste].

There are presented results of the comparative evaluation of the effectiveness of plants for disinfection of medical waste which use 4 most common hardware technologies: treatment by saturated steam pressure, moist heat, microwave exposure and chemical disinfection with refinement. The efficiency ofplants using physical methods of influence was shown to be higher in comparison with hardware chemical disinfection.

Assessing future scenarios for health care waste management using a multi-criteria decision analysis tool: A case study in the Turkish West Black Sea Region.

The aim of this paper is to identify the best possible health care waste management option in the West Black Sea Region by taking into account economic, social, environmental, and technical aspects in the concept of multi-criteria decision analysis. In the scope of this research, three different health care waste management scenarios that consist of different technology alternatives were developed and compared using a decision-making computer software, called Right Choice, by identifying various criteria, measuring them, and ranking their relative importance from the point of key stakeholders. The results of the study show that the decentralized autoclave technology option coupled with the disposal through land-filling with energy recovery has potential to be an optimum option for health care waste management system, and an efficient health care waste segregation scheme should be given more attention by the authorities in the region. Furthermore, the discussion of the results points out multidisciplinary approach and the equilibrium between social, environmental, economic, and technical criteria. The methodology used in this research was developed in order to enable the decision makers to gain an increased perception of a decision problem. In general, the results and remarks of this study can be used as a basis of future planning and anticipation of needs for investment in the area of health care waste management in the region and also in developing countries that are dealing with the similar waste management problems.

Assessment of composition and generation rate of healthcare wastes in selected public and private hospitals of Ethiopia.

In many developing countries, the inadequacy of data regarding the quantity and composition of healthcare waste is one of the major reasons for improper healthcare waste management. We investigated the generation rate and composition of healthcare wastes in six public and three private hospitals. We conducted healthcare waste composition and characterization measurements for seven consecutive days in the selected hospitals following the protocol described by the World Health Organization (WHO). The results revealed that the total generation rate of healthcare wastes of hospitals ranged from 0.25 to 2.77 kg/bed/day with a median value of 1.67 kg/bed/day for inpatients to 0.21-0.65 in kg/patient/day with a median value of 0.31 kg/patient/day for outpatients. The waste generation rate in private hospitals (median 3.9 kg/bed/day) was significantly greater (Kruskal-Wallis test, P < 0.05) than in government hospitals (median 1.5 kg/bed/day). The median values of percent hazardous waste estimated for private and government hospitals were 63.4% and 52.2%, respectively. These figures are about three times greater than the threshold values recommended by the WHO. This situation might be attributed to the improper practice of healthcare waste segregation by health professionals and auxiliary health workers due to inadequate risk perception and lack of enforced public health regulations. The study revealed that the generation rate and proportion of hazardous waste significantly varies between public and private hospitals and number of patients treated per day.

The reality of waste management in primary health care units in Brazil.

A large number of users are serviced in primary health care units in Brazil, both in health facilities and in households. These services generate waste that must be managed safely, but there is no legislation that regulates this type of waste management in Brazil. The objective of this study was to analyse the production and management of waste in primary health care. A direct observation was performed of the stages in the handling and weighing of waste generated in primary health care units in the municipality of Goiânia (Brazil). The units generated infectious, chemical, and common waste, as well as sharp objects. The generation of waste ranged between 0.027 and 0.075 kg user-day. The generated waste was classified mostly as common and recyclable. Flaws were observed in the management of all types of waste. The critical point is segregation. Only 34.1% of the waste disposed of as infectious actually belonged to this group, the rest was ordinary waste. Flaws at this stage increase the volume of infectious waste, the occupational and environmental risks, and associated costs. Intervention to change this reality is needed and it requires the careful preparation of a waste management plan, corroborating structural changes to the implementation of this plan, and professional training and public policies to guide waste management in primary care, especially those generated in households.

A review of blood component usage in a large UK emergency department after implementation of simple measures.

OBJECTIVES: To review clinical indications and demographics of transfusion and the patterns of blood component ordering, transfusion, wastage and traceability, before (2007) and after (2011) implementation of simple improvement strategies. METHODS: Retrospective case note review of all patients presenting to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) Emergency Department (ED) for whom a blood component was requested and historic comparison. Improvement measures implemented between 2007 and 2011 included (1) formal staff education, (2) use of e-learning Module One Safe Transfusion Practice (traceability update, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) traceability regulations and importance of returning completed blood component tags), (3) an ED resuscitation room blood fridge, (4) introduction of a dedicated ED transfusion consultant and ED transfusion link nurse and (5) the presence of an ED consultant on the Hospital Transfusion Group. RESULTS: Between 1st January and 31st December 2011, blood components were requested for 255 patient episodes, totalling 1034 individual units. 687 units (66.4%) of blood component were transfused, 248 components (24.0%) were recycled, 90 components (8.7%) were discarded and nine units (0.9%) were unaccounted for. There was a 64% reduction in blood component ordering (3209 vs 1034 units), a 39% reduction in blood component transfusion (1131 vs 687 units) and a 96% reduction in unaccounted units (214 vs 9 units) between 2007 and 2011. There was a rise in the median age of the patient for whom a transfusion request was made from 63.9 years in 2007 to 67.0 years in 2011. CONCLUSIONS: Blood component ordering, usage and traceability within the ED have improved significantly since 2007 following implementation of simple strategies. The age of ED transfusion recipients is increasing.

Compliance of Saudi dental students with infection control guidelines.

The aim of this study was to investigate compliance of dental students in a Saudi dental school with recommended infection control protocols. A pilot-tested questionnaire concerning various aspects of infection control practices was distributed to 330 dental students. The response rate was 93.9% (n = 311). About 99% of students recorded the medical history of their patients and 80% were vaccinated against hepatitis B. The highest compliance (100%) with recommended guidelines was reported for wearing gloves and use of a new saliva ejector for each patient. Over 90% of the respondents changed gloves between patients, wore face masks, changed hand instruments, burs and handpieces between patients, used a rubber dam in restorative procedures and discarded sharp objects in special containers. A lower usage rate was reported for changing face masks between patients (81%), disinfecting impression materials (87%) and dental prosthesis (74%) and wearing gowns (57%). Eye glasses and face shield were used by less than one-third of the sample. The majority of students were found to be in compliance with most of the investigated infection control measures. Nevertheless, further education is needed to improve some infection control measures including vaccination for Hepatitis B virus (HBV), wearing eye glasses, gowns and face shields and disinfecting impression materials and dental prostheses.

AWARENESS AND PRACTICE ON BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AMONG HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL IN KENYATTA NATIONAL HOSPITAL.

BACKGROUND: The proper handling and disposal of Bio-medical waste (BMW) is very imperative. There are well defined set rules for handling BMW worldwide. Unfortunately, laxity and lack of adequate training and awareness in execution of these rules leads to staid health and environment apprehension. OBJECTIVE: To assessthe awareness and practice regarding biomedical waste management among health care personnel in Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) DESIGN: A cross sectional study design. SETTING: Kenyatta National Hospital SUBJECTS: Doctors, Nurses and support staff who have worked in the institution for more than six months and consented were evaluated. RESULTS: The total level of awareness on biomedical waste management among health care personnel was found to be 60%. The doctors scored 51% which was the lowest score the nurses scored 65% which was the highest score while the support staff scored 55%. As for the practices, the results showed that most of the healthcare personnel were aware of the biomedical waste management practices in the hospital with the lowest scores emerging from doctors and this shows no association between knowledge on biomedical waste management and education. When asked how they would describe the control of waste management in the institution 59% said good and 40% said fair while 1% said poor. CONCLUSION: The present study therefore outlines the gap between biomedical waste management rules and inadequate state of execution and awareness in practice. It is recommended that enhancement be done to the already existing Hospital Infection Control Committee to supervise all the aspects of biomedical waste management. Periodical training programmes for biomedical waste handling and disposal to the staff with focus on doctors is highlighted.

The carbon footprint of an Australian satellite haemodialysis unit.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to better understand the carbon emission impact of haemodialysis (HD) throughout Australia by determining its carbon footprint, the relative contributions of various sectors to this footprint, and how contributions from electricity and water consumption are affected by local factors. METHODS: Activity data associated with HD provision at a 6-chair suburban satellite HD unit in Victoria in 2011 was collected and converted to a common measurement unit of tonnes of CO2 equivalents (t CO2-eq) via established emissions factors. For electricity and water consumption, emissions factors for other Australian locations were applied to assess the impact of local factors on these footprint contributors. RESULTS: In Victoria, the annual per-patient carbon footprint of satellite HD was calculated to be 10.2t CO2-eq. The largest contributors were pharmaceuticals (35.7%) and medical equipment (23.4%). Throughout Australia, the emissions percentage attributable to electricity consumption ranged from 5.2% to 18.6%, while the emissions percentage attributable to water use ranged from 4.0% to 11.6%. CONCLUSIONS: State-by-state contributions of energy and water use to the carbon footprint of satellite HD appear to vary significantly. Performing emissions planning and target setting at the state level may be more appropriate in the Australian context. What is known about the topic? Healthcare provision carries a significant environmental footprint. In particular, conventional HD uses substantial amounts of electricity and water. In the UK, provision of HD and peritoneal dialysis was found to have an annual per-patient carbon footprint of 7.1t CO2-eq. What does this paper add? This is the first carbon-footprinting study of HD in Australia. In Victoria, the annual per-patient carbon footprint of satellite conventional HD is 10.2t CO2-eq. Notably, the contributions of electricity and water consumption to the carbon footprint varies significantly throughout Australia when local factors are taken into account. What are the implications for practitioners? We recommend that healthcare providers consider local factors when planning emissions reduction strategies, and target setting should be performed at the state, as opposed to national, level. There is a need for more comprehensive and current emissions data to enable healthcare providers to do so.

A survey of anesthesiologists' views of operating room recycling.

BACKGROUND: Operating rooms contribute significantly to the increasing volumes and costs of hospital waste. Little is known, however, about doctors' views of hospital waste recycling despite their potential influence in improving recycling programs. We surveyed the waste recycling views held by anesthesiologists in Australia, New Zealand, and England in regional or metropolitan and public or private practice. We asked the following: (1) What proportion of anesthesiologists consider recycling operating room waste to be important? (2) What do respondents consider to be identifiable barriers preventing operating room recycling? METHODS: We performed a Web-based survey of 11 questions of attitudes to operating room waste recycling held by anesthesiologists. After piloting, the survey was e-mailed to 500 randomly selected Fellows of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists. All anesthetic departments of the National Health Service of England also received the e-mail with a request that English consultant anesthesiologists complete the survey. RESULTS: We received 780 responses from anesthesiologists, 210 (41% response rate) from Australia and New Zealand and 570 (11% response rate at worst) from England. Regardless of location or type of practice, most (725, 93%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 91% to 95%) responding anesthesiologists would like to increase recycling of operating room waste and would commit their time, but not their money to doing so. Only 87 (11%; 95% CI: 9% to 14%) respondents agreed/strongly agreed that waste recycling occurred in their operating rooms already. Survey respondents thought that the greatest barriers to recycling waste were (1) inadequate recycling facilities, 381 (49%); (2) negative staff attitudes, 133 (17%); and (3) inadequate information on how to recycle waste, 121 (16%). Time, safety, inadequate space for recycling receptacles, and cost were each thought by <5% of respondents to be the greatest barrier to recycling. CONCLUSIONS: Most responding anesthesiologists supported greater operating room waste recycling but thought that there were identifiable barriers. Anesthesiologists could take a leadership role and work with other hospital employees to improve operating room recycling. We suggest studies of the effect of improving operating room recycling facilities, education, and staff attitudes.