Baxter’s Los Angeles Facility Turns Production Waste into Electricity

Over the years, Baxter has reduced regulated waste to the point that many of the company's larger facilities no longer generate significant quantities. One of the more significant remaining regulated waste streams, classified as a medical waste, is waste plasma. Plasma-based operations, including plasma processing facilities, generate blood-derived protein wastes that present fewer opportunities for source reduction or reuse.

During 2011, Baxter's Environmental, Health and Safety team at the company's site in Los Angeles, California, United States, collaborated with an external waste management company to develop a comprehensive waste management program to address this waste stream. Reflecting the complexity of this issue, this alliance brought together internal as well as external experts in the manufacturing, environmental and regulatory fields. The objectives of the initiative are to minimize impact to the environment, sustain resources, and ensure regulatory compliance and employee safety. This effort supports the facility's broader aspiration to become a "zero waste site."

Continue reading about the innovative way that Baxter is turning production waste into energy.