TAMPA, Fla. — A group of nurses at Tampa General Hospital found a creative way to put to use surgical wrap that would otherwise just be thrown away. They're using it to make sleeping bags for the homeless.

  • Trays of operating room surgical equipment come in sterile surgical wrap
  • 2,000 of the surgical tray wrappers thrown out each day
  • Nurses stitching the wrap into insulated, waterproof sleeping bags
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“This is truly where one man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure,” said Karley Wright, a registered nurse of educational services at Tampa General Hospital.

For some Tampa residents living on the streets it will be, thanks to the new project at TGH.

“Every single tray of surgical instruments comes to the operating room in these sterilized wrappers, and if we’re just throwing them away, why not put it to a better cause?” said Nicole Hubbard, chief certified RN anesthetist.

According to the hospital, 2,000 of the surgical wrappers were being thrown away each day. Now, however, they are carefully stitched into sleeping bags for the city's homeless.

“These are perfectly clean, waterproof, they’re just a perfect barrier from laying on the ground for the homeless, from the bugs, just from the elements,” said Wright.

Hubbard and Wright started the initiative after seeing the idea on facebook and reached out to the TGH team for help.

“I thought it was wonderful," said TGH registered nurse Lucy Gurka. "I thought, 'absolutely, I can do this. I can get my buddy and we can figure it out together,' and we can help the community recycle things that were being thrown away and just have fun."

They’ve already made more than 100 sleeping bags with the help of TGH Volunteer Services and plan to distribute them in the coming weeks.

But Hubbard and Wright hope to see this go even further.

“I hope it’s an inspiration across the United States to see one idea or one little initiative can really make an impact in your community,” said Hubbard.

If you would like to volunteer to stitch sleeping bags, email volunteer@TGH.org.