Recycling and Waste Reduction

Introduction: Why This is Important

Laboratory plastic waste accounts for approximately 2% of landfill waste globally.1 While plastics have brought many conveniences to the lab, the impacts to the environment are substantial. Plastic waste can take years to break down in the landfill, and some plastics leach hazardous chemicals into the environment. Using plastics in the research laboratory is unavoidable, but we can practice sustainable research by reducing, reusing, and recycling plastics in the laboratory when possible. Below, we discuss each of these methods in detail and provide practical tips that can be implemented within CVMBS research laboratories.

  1. Reduce/Reuse
    • Use glass or reusable plastic
      • Using glass that can be washed and reused reduces the dependency on plastics. Glass serological pipettes can be washed and re-plugged.
      • Consider reusable plastics. Fisher Scientific has a line of reusable plasticware that can be recycled at end of life
      • Pipet tips can be washed and reused in some cases. Contact Brie Wright (brie.wright@zoetis.com) for information about washing your non-filter pipet tips. There is a tip washer at the Foothills campus in RIC D262.
      • Consider reusing weigh boats for the same chemical or using weigh paper instead.
    • Share resources with other labs
      • Sharing equipment not only reduces what needs to be produced but also lowers costs.
      • Sharing consumables makes sure that rarely used items do not go to waste due to degradation or expiration before they can be used.
    • Consolidate orders
      • Order only what you need or combine orders with others to reduce the number of reagents and supplies that are in storage and may expire.
      • Utilize the Chemistry Stockroom on CSU’s main campus as opposed to keeping stockpiles of chemicals in storage in individual laboratories where they may expire before use.
    • Purchase from venders who have pledged to reduce packaging
      • Try to substitute for Styrofoam in shipping containers when possible.  Thermo has recently released a cardboard box alternative to their EPS coolers.
      • Look for the ACT label when purchasing laboratory materials for products that have lower environmental impact.
    • Purchase items that have long lifetimes or that will eliminate waste streams
      • Purchasing LED bulbs can eliminate or reduce the waste stream associated with CFL bulbs.
      • Using digital photo imaging can eliminate the waste from traditional photo processing.
    • Coordinate and/or combine experiments with others
      • Sharing space on a 96 well plate can decrease the overall number of plates used.
      • Set up a “gel station” where glassware is rinsed and reused as opposed to being washed each time.
    • Consider CSU Surplus
      • Gently used glassware can be found as well as a variety of laboratory materials and equipment.
    • Repurpose
      • Pipette tip boxes can get a second life as a small secondary container for transport, to hold other small items, or as containers for Western blots.
      • Cold storage and cardboard boxes can be used again prior to recycling.
  2. Replace: A Case study report of Reducing Single-Use Plastics in a Veterinary Laboratory

Assessing the plastic consumption

The study began by tracking the usage and discard of plastic in a veterinary laboratory to estimate the implications of the new sustainability guidelines. All plastic consumables and isolation tools used in the laboratory were removed to create a baseline. Four boards were added to the laboratory to allow all lab participants to record the quantity of plastic items gathered and used from the shared stock area.

The diagnostic methods that have been used in this laboratory are related to polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and bacterial isolation. After one month, the laboratory used 1500 tubes (PCR and Falcon), 1500 tips (plastic tips for bacterial colony picking), and 1500 microbiology plastics (loops).

 

Action plan

After assessing the plastic consumption in the laboratory, steps that could be taken to replace current practices with more sustainable approaches were determined. The guidance from the Roslin Institute Facilities team and recommendation guidelines from the University of Edinburgh Department of Social Responsibility and Sustainability were used as references.2

A considerable proportion of PCR tubes (50 ml Falcon tubes) were used (Table 1). These plastics tubes were used for centrifugation or additional processing. The following steps were used to decontaminate and sterilize plastic tubes for reuse:

  • Remove and dispose of the tube contents.
  • Submerge tubes and lids in the decontamination station (10% Distel for more than 16 hours, replace Distel frequently according to manufacturer recommendations)
  • Rinse with tap water (if sterility is not required, drip-dry the items and use at this point).
  • Wash in a dishwasher with water-only
  • Autoclave in bags
  • Close the tubes in a laminar flow hood to keep the tubes sterile

Table 1: Consumables used in this study

N

Item

1

PCR tube (Falcon tubes)

2

Inoculation loops

3

Metal inoculation loops

4

Plastic tips for bacterial colony picking

5

Wooden sticks

 

Guidelines for the substitution of single-use items with reusable ones have been implemented as follows:

N

Single use

Replaced by

1

Plastic inoculation loops

Metal inoculation loops

2

Plastic tips for bacterial colony picking

Wooden sticks (reused after autoclave)

 

Outcome

A considerable reduction in the quantity of tubes and inoculation loops was observed. The use of metal inoculation loops (reused after sterilizing by flame) saved approximately 1,350 plastic inoculation loops over a one-month period, the equivalent of 16,200 plastic loops per year. Approximately 1,400 plastic tips for bacterial colony picking were saved when wooden sticks were used (reused after autoclave). In some cases, it was not possible to replace single use materials, such as 15 ml and 50 ml conical tubes, which instead were autoclaved for reuse when possible. Over one month, about 1,400 plastic tubes were saved by autoclaving, the equivalent of 16,800 plastic tubes per year.

 

The methods discussed in this study have some shortcomings in terms of effectiveness and usability. To avoid the use of single use plastic, we reverted to more conventional microbiological methods, such the use of metal inoculation loops. These older methods take longer since loops need to be flame-decontaminated and cooled in between samples. The primary reason plastic inoculation loops have not been completely phased out of laboratory is the time cost. Additionally, the decontamination process for reusing plastic tubes introduced new responsibilities for the team in the laboratory. The decontamination station needed to be emptied four times a week due to the volume of plastic being decontaminated; each emptying would take about 35 minutes to complete, which involves a lot of time and effort from staff in the veterinary laboratory.

 

In conclusion, this case study shows that veterinary laboratories can make changes that significantly reduce waste production. The process requires a team effort and continued refinement to determine the best places to make impactful and sustainable change. All veterinary laboratories can similarly start to determine practices to reduce the use of single-use plastic items.

 

3.  Recycle

While reducing and reusing lab materials will have the greatest impact on sustainability and should be prioritized over recycling, there are several alternatives to landfill disposal available for laboratory materials that may be considered when reducing or reusing are not viable options:

  • Plastics
    • On CSU’s campus, any plastic containers labeled #1-7 that are not contaminated with biohazardous materials can be disposed of in standard mixed recycling waste bins. Most laboratory plastics, such as conical tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, pipette tips, pipette boxes, and disposable petri dishes are composed of polyethylene (#1), polypropylene (#5), or polystyrene (#6).
    • Manufacturers often list the specific type of plastic used under the specifications on the product page.
    • Large mail-in receptacles for recycling pipette tip boxes can be purchased from Fisher Scientific, Terracycle, or Polycarbin.
    • Polycarbin also manufactures and distributes their own microcentrifuge tubes and pipette tips that contain 21-85% recycled material by weight.
    • One drawback of these programs is the significant cost involved. At other institutions, such as CU Boulder, financial incentives from Facilities Management are offered for labs to apply for on a case-by-case basis. CSU could consider implementing a similar program to help individual labs afford these more costly solutions.
  • PPE
    • Kimberly-Clark offers recycling for protective clothing, nitrile gloves, and safety glasses, but it only accepts Kimberly-Clark products for this program.
    • Terracycle sells mail-in receptacles that can accept latex, nitrile, vinyl gloves, safety glasses, disposable sleeves, and disposable face masks of any brand.
    • The DuPont Tyvek® Recycling program accepts garments and accessories that have not been exposed to hazardous materials, but this service is limited to the Tyvek® and IsoClean® brands.
    • VWR sells mail-in receptacles for recycling clean, non-contaminated disposable apparel of any brand.
  • Paper and fiber products
    • Kimwipes: These are natural fiber wipes that can be composted if they are not contaminated with biohazardous waste. Reaching out to Facilities Management to have labeled bins installed in your lab like those utilized in CSU’s efforts to compost paper towels could offer a more sustainable method of Kimwipe disposal.
    • Cardboard: Both corrugated and waxed cardboard can be recycled by CSU Facilities Management.

Conclusion/Summary

The use of plastics in the lab offers many benefits including sterility and safety. However, it also leads to significant contributions to the landfill. By taking steps to actively reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics we can decrease the amount of plastic waste each laboratory generates. The suggestions above may not work for every lab and that’s okay. Each lab should consider which steps suit their research best. All researchers can make a substantial contribution by utilizing the PMF Stockroom. The Stockroom is a well-established system for bulk ordering of frequently used research items. By utilizing the Stockroom, researchers can help to reduce the amount of shipping materials used since there will be fewer single shipments. Frequently, items are cheaper through the Stockroom than ordering them from the supplier. In summary, there are several ways to decrease the amount of plastic waste in the laboratory and with careful consideration, each research team can make a significant contribution to the reduction of plastic waste generated in the lab.

 

Authors: Marylee Kapuscinski, Rebecca Staudenmaier, Naseer Alnakhli, and Eileen Owens

 

References:

  1. Krause M, Gautam K, Gazda MA, April 2020 AN. Reducing plastic waste in the lab. In: Chemistry World [Internet]. [cited 3 Nov 2022]. Available: https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/reducing-plastic-waste-in-the-lab/4011550.article
  2. Cheek K, Arnott A. Reducing Single-Use Laboratory Plastics University of Edinburgh, Sustainability; 2019.

 

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CVMBS Green Labs Resource Guide Copyright © 2022 by MIP 700 FA 2022 Green Labs Class. All Rights Reserved.

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