Piloting Green Laboratories
| Two microbiologists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were concerned about the landfill waste being generated from the plastic containers used in lab experiments. The lab containers formerly held bio-hazardous material and needed to be sterilized and disposed properly. They worked with the CDC’s Biosafety Office to create a procedure that would autoclave and sterilize the plastics so that they would no longer pose a biosafety threat and could then be recycled. Implementation of the sterilization process was an innovative step that allowed large amounts of lab plastics to be recycled rather than sent to landfills. In a 16-month period, a total of 13,772 pounds of solid plastic waste was recycled from the first four laboratories. Through the laboratory recycling program, 6.7 percent of laboratory waste is now being diverted from the landfill. Currently, the program is being expanded to six new laboratories. |
Education Through Wireless SMS
Education Through Wireless SMS
Feeling lost and not knowing what to do as a new parent? Text4Baby leverages wireless technology to educate new mothers about their health and the health of their babies.
Find out about how government, nonprofit, and private partners came together to make it happen. More details...
Making the Link Between Public Health and Aging
Making the Link Between Public Health and Aging
The rapid aging of the United States population is unprecedented. Few health professionals possess the necessary skills and knowledge to address this issue.
Find out how one agency is tackling this problem head on. More details...
Forming Partnerships to Develop Lifesaving Technologies
Forming Partnerships to Develop Lifesaving Technologies
Not only do mineworkers face mine collapse and disasters, they have to deal with a form of black lung from dust.
Find out how a dust monitor was developed through the combination of government scientific expertise and private sector manufacturing. More details...
Piloting Green Laboratories
Piloting Green Laboratories
In a 16-month period, a total of 13,772 pounds of solid plastic waste was recycled from four laboratories. None of that would have happened without the development of this lab-recycling program.
Find out how companies and government agencies collaborated in this greening initiative. More details...
Joining Forces to Fight Childhood Obesity
Joining Forces to Fight Childhood Obesity
More than 33 percent of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese.
Find out how a group of government agencies and nonprofit organizations partnered to find out how to halt and reverse this trend. More details...
Revolutionizing Procurement Through the Web
Revolutionizing Procurement Through the Web
Procurement processes used to be a sea of paperwork. With this web-based purchasing system, online orders are a breeze.
Find out how the National Institutes of Health revolutionized the way they do business by using technology. More details...
