Downtown Dental Centre Gets Greener

At Downtown Dental Centre we have always strived to create an environmentally friendly office. We began implementing several changes to our office when
Dr. Dodds purchased the practice in 2007.

● Our x-rays are all digital so there is no waste involved as with previous film x-rays.

● We recycle all accepted recyclables that the City of Regina will accept.

● In 2013 we made the leap to a “chartless” office. Instead of filling in paper forms, patients use laminated, erasable forms that we can scan directly into their files. Dr. Dodds and the hygienists also enter all their notes directly into the computer instead of paper files. Receipts are printed if requested, but we try to eliminate paper usage as much as possible.

Product Recycling Box

And now, we are introducing the dental product recycling box from Terracycle. We can now collect all of your dental product waste and send it to Terracycle for recycling. We are getting greener and more convenient for you!

Accepted Waste

Please bring in any brand toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrushes, toothbrush and toothpaste tube outer packaging and floss containers.

Of course, reducing your waste is #1. Reusing old toothbrushes for cleaning those hard to get places like your shower crevices, small kitchen appliances and other tiny areas is also great for prolonging the life of your brush – and then you can bring it in for recycling! It’s easy to get greener with the help of the Downtown Dental Centre.

What happens to your recyclables

The collected waste is mechanically and hands separated into fibres (like wood and coated paper), plastics and other materials. The resulting fibres will be hydro pumped to separate out coatings (like wax and plastics). The separated fibre will be recycled into new paper products or composted if recycling is not possible. The resulting plastics will be recycled into plastic polymers. Flexible and rigid plastics undergo extrusion and pelletization to be moulded into various recycled plastic products.

TerraCycle

We know this isn’t the perfect answer to packaging. We have to mail it to Ontario which of course means bad news for emissions. And recycling itself causes other by-products – we understand that. But TerraCycle seems to be able to deal with such a variety of products, that we hope it makes some small difference to our world. As my friend Warren likes to say, we are trying to “better the pond” in whatever ways we can! So next time you are coming in for a visit – bring your dental waste along and we’ll find a good home for them. Think greener, do your part, it’s easy and it makes a difference.