A Guide to Waste Disposal and Sustainability in the Lab
Explore the Challenges and Solutions of Environmental Responsibility for Labs
Despite their best intentions and tremendous successes in advancing health and scientific understanding, laboratories—including academic, industrial, and medical labs—consume a considerable amount of energy and water, plus generate a tremendous amount of waste. These actions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and impact the environment.
Compared to an office space of the same size, labs consume 50 to 100 times more energy and water. In some cases, specialized laboratory facilities can require 100 times more energy than other buildings of the same size.
In 2014, the bioscience department at the University of Exeter did a study to estimate the amount of plastic the department generates yearly. Their estimate totaled 267 tons of plastic. Extrapolating globally means the world’s life sciences research labs generate 5.5 million tons of plastic annually, approximately 1.8 percent of global plastic waste.
Recycling Single-Use Items and Packaging Through Recycling Programs
For many labs, one of the biggest sustainability challenges is the waste from single-use items, from plastic tubes to sterile wrappers.1 Labs at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston are successfully implementing recycling programs for some items. Many waste management plans include recycling, but which items are recyclable and how to recycle them are not common knowledge.2
Allyson Clappin, the Greater Boston Account Manager for Corning, explains how the Corning Recycles program works. Lab members collect tip boxes, wrappers, and other packaging items in designated containers, which are then returned to a recycling facility.
Clappin says, “I’ll visit labs and let researchers know they can recycle the Styrofoam and pipette tip racks. People are excited to know that because so much Styrofoam comes in and out of the lab.”
Helping Sustainable Practices Spread
Laboratory staff are often enthusiastic about sustainability efforts. Involving lab members in decision-making can help reduce waste while fostering cultural change.2
Clappin says participating in the Corning Recycles program at MGH “helps researchers be more aware of how much waste they’re producing....Science produces a lot of plastic waste. It’s very difficult to avoid because things need to be kept sterile, but it’s nice to be able to at least do a little bit of recycling for the things that don’t have a risk of contamination.”
Once one lab implements sustainable practices, it’s easier for these ideas to spread through word of mouth to nearby labs. Clappin discusses how recycling practices have spread at the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine. “A lot of labs in the building now use the Corning program because of Corning’s efforts and as a natural chain reaction. Researchers have seen other labs packing up their recycling boxes and asked how they could get involved.”
References:
Galusha H (2022). The state of lab sustainability. labmanager.com https://www.labmanager.com/the-state-of-lab-sustainability-28255
Chichoki A (2021). ‘Greener’ options and approaches to lab waste management. labmanager.com https://www.labmanager.com/greener-options-and-approaches-to-lab-waste-management-26933
