DENVER, Aug 02, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced the company is leveraging the expertise of WM Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM), and BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) to launch a dialyzer recycling pilot in 106 DaVita® dialysis clinics in Southern California. This recycling pilot project is expected to be the first of its kind in North America.

"We have the potential to offset 350,000 pounds of dialyzer waste in this trial alone, which is incredible because until now, there has not been a 'green' way to dispose of dialyzers or other medical waste," said Kent Thiry, chairman and CEO of DaVita. "This pilot program has the potential to change the landscape of sustainable health care, particularly in the dialysis industry, and we are excited to be at the forefront of it."

This dialyzer recycling pilot builds on business solutions developed by BD and WM through the BD ecoFinity(TM) Life Cycle Solution program, which DaVita is also launching in the 106 pilot facilities. With the BD ecoFinity program, single-use medical sharps devices such as needles and syringes are collected on-site, then treated and processed by WM to recover reusable materials. BD then uses the recycled plastic to make new BD container products. The dialyzer recycling pilot follows a similar process: WM will treat and recover recyclable materials from the dialyzers, and then BD plans to use the recycled plastic to make new BD products or other applications, creating a closed-loop waste recovery solution of the recyclable materials.

"This collaboration exemplifies BD's commitment to provide comprehensive solutions that help our customers reduce their environmental impact," said Ranjeet Banerjee, vice president, BD Medical-Medical Surgical Systems. "As a leader in the medical technology industry, we continue to seek innovative sustainability solutions for our customers that do not compromise patient care or incur additional cost."

"WM's integrated environmental solutions increase value by managing materials more efficiently to help lower the costs for our health care customers, while maintaining safety and compliance standards," said Mike McInerney, vice president of Waste Management Healthcare Solutions. "We are pleased to be collaborating with BD and DaVita to move forward our shared vision of safety and sustainability."

DaVita was recently recognized with a Green Leadership Award from BD at a World Environment Day celebration for its commitment to sustainable health care by implementing innovative programs to reduce the company's environmental impact. DaVita was one of three health care companies to receive this award.

For more information on DaVita's sustainability initiatives, visit DaVita.com/CommunityCare.

For more information about the BD ecoFinity(TM) program, visit http://www.bd.com/ecofinity.

DaVita is a registered trademark of DaVita Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500® company, is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services and education to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. As of March 31, 2011, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 1,642 dialysis facilities, serving approximately 128,000 patients. DaVita develops, participates in and donates to numerous programs dedicated to transforming communities and creating positive, sustainable change for children, families and our environment. The company's leadership development initiatives and corporate social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare,Newsweek and WorldBlu, among others. For more information, please visit http://www.davita.com.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are the largest residential recycler and also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wm.com or http://www.thinkgreen.com.

About BD

BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the public. For more information, please visit http://bdone.bdx.com/leaving/index.aspx?http://www.bd.com.

SOURCE: DaVita

DaVita
Ginger Pelz, 303-405-2271
Ginger.Pelz@davita.com
or
Waste Management
Carrie Griffiths, 603-929-3350
cgriffiths@wm.com
or
BD
Eileen Finn, 201-847-4584
Eileen_Finn@bd.com