# 096 - Pharma Waste Management, Sustainability, What Happens to Sharps, Disposal and Zero Waste with Heather Johnson

- Show: [Let's Combinate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate)
- Published: 2023-08-02
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/letscombinate/episodes/096---Pharma-Waste-Management--Sustainability--What-Happens-to-Sharps--Disposal-and-Zero-Waste-with-Heather-Johnson-e27kiok

## Summary

Heather Johnson, CEO of Ingenium, explains the complexities of pharmaceutical waste management, distinguishing between biological sharps that require autoclaving and chemical sharps that often require incineration. She details Ingenium's 'orphan chemical' program, which connects large pharmaceutical companies with unused reagents to small biotech startups, thereby reducing hazardous waste volume. Johnson also discusses 'zero waste' strategies, including waste-to-energy technologies and fuel blending, as alternatives to landfills, while noting that compacting is a logistical optimization rather than a treatment.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=0) Introduction: Subi Sadeh and Heather Johnson of Ingenium
- [2:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=129) Heather Johnson's Career History and Ingenium's Origins
- [5:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=353) Disposal Challenges for Biological and Chemical Sharps
- [8:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=491) Defining Zero Waste and Alternatives to Landfills
- [11:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=667) Regulatory Frameworks and Compacting Logistics
- [15:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=903) The Orphan Chemical Program and Waste Reduction
- [18:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z#t=1120) Leadership Advice and Personal Reflections

## Topics

- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Ingenium (company)
- BioNet (company)
- EPA (other)
- FDA (other)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2023-08-02-096-pharma-waste-management-sustainability-what-happens-to-sharps-disposal-and-z. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Let's Combinate.