Sleep Labs Generate Nearly 1.8 Tons of Plastic Waste a Year, Audit Finds

A new waste audit published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine estimates that sleep laboratory diagnostic activity generates about 1,736 kilograms of solid waste annually, with 93% of collected waste made up of plastic. The findings stem from a three-night, in-lab audit at a large urban academic medical center that recorded more than 24 kilograms of solid waste from 24 diagnostic studies. Researchers separated and weighed waste from 24 in-lab studies and modeled waste from 76 home studies, including 75 disposable WatchPAT devices and one reusable NOMAD. The study was led by Laura M. Donahue.