Resource Management

Introduction

The focus of this section is on resource management, a key idea of which is ensuring that labs make efficient use of the materials that they have on hand and don’t allow resources to go to waste. One source of such waste in labs is resources that are expired, then no longer used, and then thrown out. These resources include chemicals, reagents, plastics, and kits. Simple ordering and organization practices can help in reducing the purchases of unneeded supplies that eventually expire and are discarded.

Resource inventory:

• Maintaining an inventory of reagents and supplies is a great way to ensure that supplies are being stocked and ordered appropriately.
• Always check the inventory in all the locations (in the various lab spaces and the cage) before ordering. This will help reduce the ordering of unneeded and excess supplies that might already have been purchased but are simply in a different location.
• An order checklist is a helpful tool, especially for high-use items such as serological pipets, conical tubes, and gloves. Having an individual go through this list weekly to check what needs to be ordered or brought to the main lab space can help prevent running out of essential items and prevents multiple people from purchasing the same item.
• Setting a reordering threshold (which can be included on the checklist mentioned above) helps mitigate purchasing supplies before they are genuinely needed. Research goes through phases. Some supplies are used a lot for a time and then less as the techniques shift. Ensuring that only the needed amount of a resource is purchased helps prevent the accumulation of supplies that are slow to be used, which only take up valuable space and then will expire and be thrown away.

Chemicals and reagents inventory:

• Working chemical inventories can be challenging to maintain if items are not consistently added and removed. To help maintain up-to-date inventories, a central collection of empty reagents/chemicals can be established. A dedicated individual can remove these supplies from the list and reorder them if necessary.
• Chemicals and reagents are expensive and often kept, even expired ones, in case they need to be used in the future. However, through personal experience, we know that many reagents/chemicals will not actually be used for fear that they are no longer effective and will jeopardize the experiment. Instead, the new kits, reagents, chemicals, etc., are used, and the expired items are still kept just in case. Such things should be disposed of to clear space and to prevent excess chemicals from accumulating.
• When new items arrive, they should be placed behind the older items, and the older items should be moved forward into an easily visible and accessible location. This organization technique helps ensure that the older items that expire sooner are used first, thus helping prevent their expiration.
• The organization of chemicals/reagents/kits is crucial for helping eliminate the over-purchase of supplies. If an item cannot easily be found, the tendency is to purchase more. Arranging alphabetically and then by date is a straightforward and helpful way to find the oldest version of an item quickly.
• Chemicals/reagents/kits should be labeled with the date of receipt. This date is beneficial in knowing which item to use first based on age and if the item is expired. The date and initials of when things are opened can also be helpful.
• Buy the appropriate amounts of reagents/chemicals. Simply because a large size is less expensive doesn’t make it the right size to purchase. If that item is not used, it expires and is discarded, making it more expensive. There needs to be a balance between buying in bulk (which is also more environmentally friendly) and having expired items that need to be discarded. If an item expires, consider buying a smaller size in the future or sharing the item with another lab.

Sharing of unneeded supplies and reagents:

• Supplies and reagents that are no longer needed don’t have to end up in a landfill. There are several potential options for re-homing resources so that they do not go to waste. Frequently assessing inventories for unneeded supplies and reagents is especially important for items that have the potential to expire.
• Consider organizing a “yard sale” or “swap meet” with other laboratories in your building or research community. Invite laboratories to go through their inventories to find unneeded items, then come together to have a free exchange of supplies. Such an event could be scheduled on a regular basis (annual or biannual depending on need and interest) and can even be used as an educational opportunity where labs can learn more about other green lab practices.
• When an organized event isn’t feasible, or when you only have one or two items that need a new home, a bulletin board can be used to notify others of supplies that you have available.
• Research teaching labs will often welcome donations of your excess/unwanted supplies. Alternatively, you can schedule items to be picked up by Surplus Property for sale to the community at large.

Other tips:

• Share equipment (and maybe some reagents) with other labs. Even if this is not currently standard practice for your group, consider equipment sharing when it comes time to replace your existing equipment.
• Periodically check gasses for leaks and turn them off when they are not needed.
• Make sure the dry ice storage is appropriate and has good insulation.

Authors: Linda Fischbacher and Megan Lucas