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Responsible Waste Management: Using Resources Efficiently

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Sustainable Dentistry

Part of the book series: BDJ Clinician’s Guides ((BDJCG))

Abstract

This chapter aims to describe the types of waste produced in dental practice, the costs associated with disposal of this waste, and the impact that the disposal method has on the environment and on human health. It discusses the waste hierarchy and explores how dental surgeries can reduce their waste generation through simple changes in practice. The chapter continues by highlighting the benefits of performing a waste audit, with examples of how correct segregation of the waste produced in practice is both cost-effective and reduces the environmental impact of its disposal. Finally, we discuss some of the barriers and enablers of changing waste disposal behaviours in the dental practice and identify how the environmentally minded practitioner can encourage pro-environmental behaviour in their dental team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK

    Sheryl Wilmott

  2. Independent Consultant, Amersham, UK

    Eleni Pasdeki-Clewer

  3. Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Brett Duane

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  1. Sheryl Wilmott
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  2. Eleni Pasdeki-Clewer
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  3. Brett Duane
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Correspondence to Sheryl Wilmott .

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  1. School of Dentistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Brett Duane

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Wilmott, S., Pasdeki-Clewer, E., Duane, B. (2022). Responsible Waste Management: Using Resources Efficiently. In: Duane, B. (eds) Sustainable Dentistry. BDJ Clinician’s Guides. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07999-3_10

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