Facilitate convenient trash and recycling

The Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Biology Research core has had success diverting noninfectious waste from the biohazardous stream into the regular trash and recycling.

This was achieved by providing small trash and recycling bins aside the large red biohazard bins, and slightly reducing the number of available biohazardous containers. This effort was coupled with education for users regarding which materials are biohazardous and which can be collected by janitorial staff.

This climate action improves air quality and leads to less biohazardous waste production, which saves money, too. One full biohazardous waste bin costs roughly $200 to process.

Purchase more sustainable products

There may be an less-wasteful alternative to some of your laboratory consumables. For instance, plastic conical tubes (50mL or 15mL) by default come with cumbersome styrofoam racks. By ordering rackless conical tubes, labs can both save precious grant money and reduce their waste production!

For another example, the current default plastic pipette tip boxes are non-recyclable, and contribute significantly to waste due to the sheer number of pipette tips required by the vast majority of biomedical wet labs. However, there is a cardboard-housed option. Just as sterile, but fully recyclable and biodegradable.

Biochemistry Stores has agreed to stock the rackless conical tubes and cardboard-housed pipette tips if enough orders come in, so inquire today! It might even save your lab some money!

Support companies with commitments to sustainability

For more complex products, the ACT label (Accountability, Consistency, and Transparency) eco-label is a My Green Lab's certified nutrition-style label describing the environmental impact of consumables such as chemicals and equipment. It is third-party verified, so you can be confident in products' transparency and impact. Buying products with the ACT label helps drive more companies towards sustainable practices. 

For a comprehensive, creative list of reagent/supply substitutions and ideas, click the button below:

Consider large-scale changes

These changes may be more labor intensive or have a higher upfront cost, and therefore may not work for every lab or budget.

Glassware is more reusable than plasticware. Before you commit to pouring media in a plastic container, ask yourself if glassware may be an option. After all, it used to be the only option!

Unfiltered pipette tips can be washed and reused (manually or automatically), even for sensitive application such as ELISA^[2], reducing the need for repurchase and shipment.

Solvents and their containers can be recycled through new technologies and industrial strategies, such as Sigma-Aldrich's ReCycler Solvent Systems program.

Pod-based cell culture media systems can reduce up to 65% of the carbon footprint associated with media production and transport. Dry pellets are shipped rather than pre-mixed liquid media, and custom blends are available.

Dry and semi-dry transfer systems reduce much of the toxic waste associated with Western blots (and time associated with transfer). Consider switching to a different system.