The nature of bioscience requires that we segregate samples from each other to minimize cross-contamination, but there are still ways to reduce waste. For example, using a mop and bucket can eliminate the need for mountains of paper towels to clean spills. Switching from plastic tubes to glass can also help the environment, as glass can be more effectively washed out and autoclaved for reuse.
If your workflow permits, consider reusable reagent reservoirs made of tougher plastic that can be cleaned and autoclaved repeatedly. If there are bulk solutions that are used by many lab members, also consider setting up a large canister made of glass or tough plastic that can be refilled as needed, and aliquot into designated conical tubes or smaller glass bottles that folks can take to their bench for individual use. Additionally, by switching to less- or non-toxic chemical options (this will require some research on your part, but an example of a quick solution would be using SYBR Green in lieu of ethidium bromide to visualize DNA), you can recycle your lab plastics more safely and effectively. By formulating a workflow to minimizing cross-contamination, the same pipet tip can be employed several times in a process, for example by establishing the order of addition from least concentrated to most concentrated.
Cardboard and plastic packaging can also be repurposed for lab use, either as extra storage boxes or holders for PCR or other reaction setup. Pipet tips are usually delivered in pre-racked boxes, so when the box is empty, you can use the holes as microfuge tube holders. For pipet tips that come in reloadable stacks, the previous racking plastic can be taken out and used on its own as a tube-holder on top of ice in a bucket, or you can fill the pipette box with ice, a dry-ice/alcohol slurry, or even liquid nitrogen before putting the plastic liner back on to keep tubes cold during quick transport. You can check out our previous lab hacks for other ideas to repurpose equipment and supplies, and check out this video for other ideas you might be able to adapt:
It may be worthwhile to seek out companies that source from recycled materials, and also offer services to recycle their products in an effort to close the supply loop. For example, the company Polycarbin has launched lab plastic product lines that are much more sustainable and efficient using recycled plastics. There are also companies that work with biodegradable plastics, and biological plastics that might not be readily degradable but are at least easily recyclable.
Other companies are actually focused on cleaning and reusing plastics in-lab. Grenova has devices that wash used pipet tips so that they can be reused several times in subsequent experiments. There are many research teams focused on breaking down plastics, both consumer products and from lab consumables. One strategy is removing contaminants to facilitate conversion from polymer to monomer and back again, which would ease recycling processes. Another is by using nanotechnology and enzymes to break the plastic down from within after a set time to coordinate with the shelf life of the material within the container.
A small company trying to break down plastics into substances that can be used by the greater ecosystem is Polliloop, the brainchild of two brilliant Hungarian scientists. The bacterial culture used contains some enzyme cocktail that seems to break down any plastic within a matter of weeks versus the decades or centuries otherwise, and the resultant goo is usable as fertilizer. Polliloop’s founders have been fundraising for the past couple years, and have some videos circulating to explain their process and vision.
The scientific community, particularly those who work daily in lab and who study ecology and sustainability, is acutely aware of the need to improve recycling and reuse programs. I recall going through mounds of plastic in both graduate research and in production, and it was very distressing knowing that most of this would end up in landfills or possibly in a whale’s belly. European institutions are implementing programs to reduce single-use plastics, and to phase them out completely within the next few years. As more industries realize the importance of sustainability, hopefully the whole world follows their example and we can continue pressuring other companies and leaders to enact policies to make our planet more sustainable, and certainly a lot cleaner!