World Environment Day is on June 5th 2024 and the focus is on #GenerationRestoration. The theme is on accelerating land restoration, drought resilience, and desertification progress. We are trying to do our bit to support the environment with our environmental protection procedures in line with our dental practice values and our personal values too.
Dr Stone’s Girl Guide unit is always involved with Clean Up Australia every year going down Fourth Creek and returning with all sorts of interesting things. This year was the huge amount of bubble wrap coiled around the bushes in the creek, the stroller and the part of a shopping trolley. Our trail of guides looked really cool coming up out of the creek with our Clean Up Australia Bags.
Maintaining environmentally friendly standards in dentistry not only benefits the planet but also promotes healthier practices for patients and staff.
What specific eco-friendly initiatives or practices does Adelaide City Dental Care implement?
- Using paper-based wipes and concentrated biodegradable disinfectants and detergents helps reduce environmental impact while maintaining cleanliness and safety in the surgery rooms.
- Recycling masks through TerraCycle is a responsible practice, especially considering the environmental impact of single-use masks. By participating in this program, Adelaide City Dental Care helps prevent waste from ending up in landfills or oceans, turning what would be trash into useful new products. This kind of initiative is crucial in healthcare settings where the use of disposable masks is high.
- Using totally degradable barriers for draping in surgery is another impressive step towards environmental responsibility. These barriers break down completely due to the action of microorganisms, turning into harmless substances like carbon dioxide, water, and humus without leaving harmful petro-polymers in the soil. Additionally, their ability to degrade without emitting methane or nitrous oxide is particularly important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The fact that these materials can also be recycled safely adds another layer of sustainability to our practices.
- Switching from fluorescent light globes to LED lighting is a smart and impactful way to enhance energy efficiency in our practice. LEDs not only use significantly less energy—up to 80% less—but also last longer, reducing waste and the frequency of replacements. This change contributes greatly to reducing our overall carbon footprint and operational costs.
- Actively recycling plastic drink cups, paper, and cardboard. Having the support of the Adelaide City Council in making recycling accessible for businesses definitely enhances the effectiveness of such initiatives. This not only helps in reducing waste but also promotes a culture of sustainability within the community.
- Supporting TerraCycle by recycling oral care products and packaging not only helps reduce landfill waste but also contributes to the creation of new products, such as garden beds and benches for schools. Encouraging patients to bring in their used oral care products for recycling is a wonderful way to extend our environmental impact beyond the clinic. With 6000 locations across Australia recycling close to 650,000 units, it’s clear that this program is making a significant difference.
- We are part of the circular economy too with as many instruments sterilized as possible so we aren’t purchasing ‘consumables’ all the time. And our broken ones can be reused in other ways, or recycled. We also purchase products and paper that is made using recycled ingredients.
- Dr Stone also prefers to fix equipment rather than send it to the landfill and buy new if possible. Every little bit helps!
In clinic news this month we had the Infection Control Course on the new national standards for infection control and reprocessing reusable medical devices and other devices in health and non-health related facilities. All staff attended and had a great time at the Adelaide Oval. We hope you saw the pictures! Ruby, and Khadija have joined us. We are sure you will make them feel welcome to our dental family.
See you in the clinic! The Adelaide City Dental Care Team. PS: check out our socials (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) for top tips for teeth, mouth and gums and dental family snaps! Maybe even the latest video on YouTube.
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