Best Practices: Waste | UCSB Sustainability

LabRATS Best Practices

Waste

The purchase and disposal of single-use plastics in a laboratory often create large amounts of waste. Learn and share best practices for reducing the amount and types of waste commonly generated in a laboratory setting.

Utilize take-back programs:
Some of the companies who manufacture and produce single-use plastics offer take-back programs, where the company accepts the waste back for recycling or reprocessing. Most of these programs are free to participate in -- others may charge for shipping or require purchase of program-specific receptacles. All materials intended for recycling must be clean and non-hazardous, and very few require additional verification of sterilization. Below are a few of the take-back programs available in California:

Reduce the amount of non-recyclable material purchased and reuse materials whenever possible: Take advantage of glass alternatives in place of single-use plastics, utilizing hand washing, solvent rinsing, and autoclaving to clean and reuse glassware, thereby diminishing plastic waste levels. Some applications include swapping out plastic petri dishes for glass ones, and using glass bottles for media storage. Common non-recyclable laboratory items you may be able to reuse include: pipette tip racks, gloves (in non-hazardous applications), Styrofoam racks, gel ice packs, weigh boats (where contamination is less of an issue), and shipping and storage containers.

Set up recycling bins for plastic, glass, and metal: In a recent waste audit of the Life Sciences Building, less than half of recyclable material collected was actually put in the recycling. Setting up recycling bins with clear labels on what can and cannot be recycled can tremendously help divert these materials from landfills. In Santa Barbara County, items like Styrofoam, Pyrex, lab glass, and plastics #3 through #7 cannot be placed in the blue recycling bin, but there are a lot of common laboratory materials that can! These are primarily PETE/PET (polyethylene terephthalate, or polyester) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastics and are typically found in lab bottles, tissue culture media bottles, plastic storage containers (especially pipette tip boxes), and larger chemical storage containers. A comprehensive list of recyclable materials that are not lab-specific can be found here.

Use less paper or go paperless altogether: Reduce paper waste by opting for smaller font sizes and adjusting margin widths so more content fits on a single page. Remember to always print double-sided when printing multiple pages and recycling the paper once you are finished with it. Go above and beyond and consider going paperless! Save time, space, and money by going digital. Digitization makes management and transferring of files easier, all while cutting down on deforestation and reducing carbon emissions.

Put corrugated cardboard in hallway after collapsing: If there is no need to reuse the cardboard in your lab, placing it in the hallway makes it easy for custodians to throw it in the green recycling dumpsters located behind each building.

Set up a battery collection bin: Make it easy for lab staff to dispose of batteries legally and safely by setting up an easily visible collection bin for used batteries. Once it is full, empty the bin in one of the many e-waste collection bins on campus. For information on where these e-waste bins are located, and what other e-waste is accepted at these locations, click here.

Recycle unusable/broken equipment: Reuse still functioning parts, or recycle properly when item has reached its end-of-life. Post your broken equipment to bio-listservs and Gateway to see if anyone else can utilize these materials.