When it comes to finding a dentist, there are a number of things you need to look for. This includes a professional service, quality equipment and comprehensive planning. However, another important factor to consider is how ‘green’ they are and what steps they take to reduce the impact they have on the environment.
From using energy-efficient light bulbs to buying recycled products, most of us are aware of the small changes we can make to our everyday life which have a big impact on the wellbeing of the environment.
Below are some ways we at Aim Dental incorporated these philosophies into our business:
Waste Management System
Our waste management system follows the 3-bin system which aims to reduce waste and be more environmentally friendly. In each Aim Dental lunchroom, staff are encouraged to responsibly discard their waste into the bins and all food scraps are taken to staff member’s property to be turned into mulch and/or fed to their worms! On top of this, inks and toners, which are environmentally friendly are recycled correctly with the appropriate suppliers.
Paperless Practice
All Aim Dental practices are paperless, meaning medical history forms, practice correspondence, x-rays and card files are all digital, secure and backed up by our ShadowProtect data storage program. Any documents that need printing are done on our 100% recycled paper and all brochures/ promotional flyers are printed on FSC certified paper. FSC stands for ‘Forest Stewardship Council’ and they provide the highest level of protection for rare and endangered forests and wildlife. FSC is also the only forest certification system that requires consultation with local Indigenous Peoples with the intention of protecting their rights.
Biodegradable Products
At Aim Dental we have made a conscious effort to use biodegradable products where we can in our day to day running of the clinic. We use plastic barriers and sterilisation sleeves made from a responsible and sustainable product, which is disposable and helps protect our environment. The plastic used is oxo-biodegradable, which when placed in landfill, breaks down within 1 – 2 yrs , as opposed to 100 – 1000’s of years. By doing this we can still maintain an extremely high level of hygiene whilst reducing our footprint on the environment.
Filtration Systems
In order to ensure that our treatments do not contaminate the environment, we have mercury filters in our suction systems. This, with our high power suction units, helps remove large amalgam/mercury filling materials before other waste fluids exit into the drain system and then into the environment. Our Reverse Osmosis water filtration system, which is linked to all our dental chairs and taps, is the safest and Most effective way of removing toxins from Australian Drinking water. ‘Reverse Osmosis’ will remove up to 99.9% of all other inorganic minerals and toxins from the water which can be potentially harmful to our health.
Terracycle Program
We are also proud to be a part of the Terracycle Oral Care Brigade. This is a recycling program specifically for oral care packaging. Each of the dental practices has a Terracycle bin which can be used to recycle the following items;
- toothpaste tubes and caps
- manual toothbrushes
- electric toothbrush heads
- toothbrush and toothpaste tube plastic packaging
- floss containers
Once collected, these plastics are cleaned, shredded and melted into hard plastic that can be remoulded to make new recycled products.
Bamboo Toothbrushes
Our Aim 4 Green initiative has also expanded with the introduction of our oral care packs which include a soft bamboo toothbrush instead of the traditional plastic toothbrush. Bamboo toothbrushes are now easily available and not only do they provide a great clean, they are also biodegradable from a sustainably grown product. Everything in our Aim 4 Green pack can be recycled using our Terracycle bins in the dental practices.
For information on how to discard your bamboo toothbrush responsibly, please view our Oral Hygiene at Home Video.
Is your Dentist Green?
Our patients can rest assured that when they attend one of our three Aim Dental Practices, they are making a positive impact on their health and the environment. We are committed to doing everything we can to transform the world for a healthier, safer, more sustainable future for all.
If you have any ideas on how we can be more Green, please let us know!