Sustainability is serious at Keystone. We use a novel steam treatment integrator (STI) that processes solid medical waste with more efficiency and less environmental impact than traditional methods.
For decades, medical waste disposal meant autoclaving or incineration. Both methods are resource-intensive and environmentally detrimental, especially for smaller facilities trying to stay compliant and sustainable.
An autoclave uses high-pressure, steam-based processes to sterilize items and destroy microorganisms. From there, items like sharps and red bag waste can be disposed safely. Multi-use medical instruments and equipment may be processed separately and be re-used.
Autoclaved waste typically doesn’t reduce waste volume and shredding is usually an additional step. This can increase costs and tends to be less energy efficient.
Incineration is always the last-choice disposal method for Keystone Med Waste.
Most medical waste can be processed through the steam treatment integrator (STI) or an autoclave, but certain chemicals or types of pathological waste may need to be incinerated for compliance. This process destroys pathogens and waste at extremely high temperatures (upwards of 2000F or 1000C). It’s effective, but there’s an increased risk of air pollution and it creates high emissions.
At Keystone, we’ve invested in steam treatment integrators (STIs) for an eco-friendly biohazard treatment that can handle 99% of all non-sharps regulated medical waste.
The STI system shreds red bag medical waste into small, unrecognizable pieces and makes it ready for destruction.
Low-pressure steam (moist heat) sterilizes the waste without added chemicals or combustion.
The entire process is fully enclosed and automated, so there’s less risk of exposure or contamination.
The STI dehydrates and compacts waste to reduce bulk volume by 80%, which means there’s less total material being sent to the landfill.
Waste is measured, weighed, and documented, then fed to a USDA-approved closed-loop continuous feed system
A fine shredder maximizes surface area and destroys all protected health information (PHI)
Low-pressure steam destroys the waste and neutralizes pathogens
The STI machine boils off clean water for 8% net dehydration while HEPA filters protect operators
Fewer steps between waste pickup and making it biologically inert saves time, emissions, and cost
This process results in an 80% bulk waste reduction, which means decreased disposal volumes
The STI machine has the lowest per-pound waste treatment cost in the industry