Perhaps the only good thing to say about fluid waste is that there are environmentally friendly ways to dispose of it. Here are 4 benefits of using direct-to-drain disposal and reusable products to channel, wick and capture spilled saline and bodily fluids.

1. Use fewer suction canisters
Eliminating or reducing the number of disposable suction canisters you go through is the easiest way to cut the amount of medical waste your facility generates. A surgical facility can go through thousands of canisters in a year. A study at the University of Minnesota found that fluid suction canisters make up about 40% of the infectious waste generated by operating rooms. Overall, canisters make up 12% to 16% of all regulated medical waste. Consider reusable canisters (some even have recyclable plastic lids) that can be reprocessed or convert to a closed system with reusable canisters. One hospital, according to the study, saved $40,000 in a year after making the switch.

2. Stop using solidifying powder
If you do away with disposable suction canisters, you can stop using solidifying powder. Avoiding the use of solidifiers creates less red bag waste. Not only does this reduce your facility's environmental impact, because less waste is incinerated or ends up in the landfill, it also saves you money since regulated medical waste costs 22 to 60 cents per pound, depending on the region.

Using solidifying powder exposes employees to a pesticide as well as bloodborne pathogens that might be in the fluid before the powder is added, says Catherine Zimmer, MS, BSMT, principal of the consulting firm Zimmer Environmental Improvement in St. Paul, Minn. Doing away with solidifiers will also reduce the amount of toxic chemicals that can leach out of the landfill and into the soil, water supply, lakes and rivers. Solidifiers contain disinfectants that are considered pesticides. "You're making your waste even more toxic," says Ms. Zimmer.

The GI Diagnostic Endoscopy Center in Marietta, Ga., switched from using solidifying powders to a closed system that lets staff connect standard suction canisters to a wall-mounted drainage unit that empties into the sewer line and washes the disposable canisters. "You can put them in the regular trash instead of the medical waste," says Shannon Moulton, RN, clinical director at the center. These plumbed systems can be installed instead of a slop-hopper sink. The closed drainage unit saves staff members from having to open suction canisters and pour them down the drain. "You get splashback. It's an exposure risk," says Ms. Moulton.

3. Closed systems isolate fluid
A closed vacuum system isolates fluid once it sucks it up. The fluid stays within the closed system until it goes into the sewer system. There's no risk of employees coming in contact with the fluid while transporting it to the drain, and you don't need to solidify the fluid or send it to a landfill.

The path the fluid takes depends on the system. Some systems have a mobile unit with a reservoir or reusable canisters that can be emptied after 1 or more cases, depending on how much fluid the canisters can hold. Some hold as much as 24 liters. At Sutter Delta Hospital in Antioch, Calif., each OR is equipped with a mobile disposal unit that supplies suction as well as smoke evacuation. Each unit has 4 suction ports that can be attached to collection drapes or suction tubing used by anesthesia. At the end of the case, or whenever the canister is full, the staff member rolls the unit to the docking station, where the unit is emptied and cleaned. "It's a closed system," says Bonnie Morgan, RN, charge nurse at Sutter Delta Hospital. "The staff doesn't get exposed."

Since the hospital purchased the mobile closed system, there's been no need for suction canisters or solidifiers. "In the old days, that would have gone into the landfill," says Ms. Morgan. The only disposable part is a single-use manifold that filters the flow into the canister. This needs to be changed between cases. However, says Ms. Morgan, "If you need a specimen, you can get it from the manifold." Depending on volume, the disposable manifold can cost less than $10 or as much as $30, say users. One of the drawbacks of the mobile system is that if you turn it off between cases, you have to reconnect it to the docking station, says Ms. Morgan.

Most closed systems need to be plumbed into your facility's sewage line, which can be expensive. Cost to convert can be a challenge, since a closed vacuum system with mobile units can cost $22,500 or more depending on how many mobile units you purchase, plus the cost of plumbing modifications.

4. Reusable mats suction and cushion
Although there are many very effective floor-based fluid disposal products, a common drawback is that they're disposable and end up in the medical waste. Choosing reusable products, such as suction floor mats, reduces the amount of regulated medical waste your facility generates. Reusable mats can also pay for themselves quickly. For example, reusable mats cost about $330 for a case of 5 mats ($66 each), says 1 manufacturer, compared to about $30 for a disposable product. But the mat can be used 10 times, which brings the per-case cost down to $6.60.

Reusable rubber mats connected to a suction port remove fluid through a series of channels underneath. Some versions also have a series of holes on the top to direct fluid to the underside and keep the surface where the OR team member stands relatively dry. The area around the mat stays dry, too. The fluid "doesn't continue to flow all over the floor," says Cheryl Lusson, RN, OR manager at the Princess Anne Ambulatory Surgery Center in Virginia Beach, Va. After each case, a tech at the center washes the mat with a brush and hot water and decontaminates it with a virucide. At the end of the day, the mat gets a thorough cleaning and decontamination in the reprocessing room where it hangs until it's needed again, says Ms. Lusson.

When you're trying to reduce the environmental impact of your ORs, fluid waste management is a good place to start. Every bit helps, says Ms. Lusson. "We throw away enough stuff as it is."