Lab Waste Disposal Sustainability Solutions | Corning

In a busy lab, where there's always a lot on your to-do list, thinking through lab waste disposal practices may not seem like a high priority. However, improving how your lab handles waste can be a big opportunity to reduce environmental impact. In addition, a well-designed waste disposal system is a key component of laboratory safety and compliance and could provide other benefits, like cost savings and better organization in the lab.

Let's look at some ways labs can target sustainability through better lab waste disposal practices.

Vendor Recycling Programs Can Reduce Environmental Impact

Research labs generate a significant amount of waste, including the paper and plastic packaging that keeps items sterile until they're used, but it can be surprisingly straightforward to implement recycling and other sustainable practices, even in a lab that generates hazardous waste. For example, some life science suppliers offer recycling programs, which enable labs to return certain items to the manufacturer for recycling.

A number of labs adopting sustainable practices participate in Corning's recycling program, which involves returning tip boxes, sterile wrappers, and other packaging items to Corning for recycling.

Allyson Clappin, the Greater Boston account manager for Corning, explained how the Corning recycling program fits into a lab's workflow. "Labs will typically have one or two large cardboard boxes underneath the culture hoods. While researchers are doing experiments, as they unwrap items individually, they put the wrappers off to one side. When they're all done in the hood, we put them into the boxes underneath."

Serological pipet wrappers, empty tip boxes, and wrappers and Styrofoam packaging for Falcon® tubes are also collected for return to Corning.

Clappin explained how Corning's program offers flexibility in terms of how and when the boxes are returned, which can change depending on how much recyclable material the lab produces. "The joint box is picked up periodically by Corning. [For the boxes under the hood], labs will just use any cardboard box, print out a shipping label from the website, and send it off."

Disposing of Other Material Types in the Lab

Recycling programs typically collect packaging, such as sterile wrappers, but what about other types of waste materials?

"A lot of researchers I work with are actively trying to reduce the amount of plastic waste that is produced in the lab. It becomes difficult when you work with biohazardous materials and human samples," Clappin said. But small changes are possible and can make a difference. A careful review of your lab's common procedures may reveal opportunities to reduce waste, such as replacing single-use items with reusables.

For example, to prepare media in smaller volumes for daily use, "a lot of labs will use a dual filtration system and aliquot media into a disposable plastic container," Clappin said. "It's common to see labs using glassware that they sterilize on site rather than using disposable media bottles if they're making aliquots."

Another way to cut down on plastic waste is to seek out products designed to use less plastic in the first place. For example, Corning's redesigned U- flasks use 23% less plastic than T-flasks. During cell culture intensification, researchers can save plastic by using Corning HYPERFlask®, increasing efficiency and getting the same surface area as 10 T-175 flasks. Most laboratories use a large number of tips and tip ricks. By switching to the Axygen® HybridRack®, labs will use 70% less plastic than a traditional tip rack.

Similarly, green chemistry is a family of principles and techniques that laboratories can use to reduce the production of hazardous chemical waste. For example, chemical processes can be designed so less-hazardous chemicals are used in place of more-hazardous chemicals, and chemical syntheses can be planned with greater efficiency to minimize the volume of contaminated waste that remains at the end of the process. Green chemistry is increasingly implemented not just in industry but also in academic labs and even biology labs.

Why Is Proper Waste Disposal Important in a Lab Setting?

Proper waste disposal is a key component of laboratory safety and compliance. Beyond following institutional and government requirements for hazardous waste disposal, such as separating and properly handling biohazard vs. non-biohazard waste, consider designing processes to maximize recovery of recyclable materials that do not need to go into hazardous waste streams. Train personnel on what can and cannot be recycled, and position recycling containers at convenient locations in the lab.

Clappin pointed out that implementing a straightforward recycling system can be helpful in other ways. "It's also a nice way to keep the room clean and organized. Tissue culture labs tend to be pretty small and a little bit cramped, so it's nice to have these designated areas for disposal of (specific items)."

Some labs have found that environmental friendliness goes hand in hand with efficiency and cost savings. To promote these goals, investigate whether reusable items can replace single-use versions, and improve inventory management to avoid waste when items expire. Consider whether your lab can order frequently used items in bulk or whether orders can be consolidated among labs or across departments to cut down on packaging and delivery trips. Planning ahead can also reduce the need for last minute orders that may need expedited shipping which can increase CO2 footprint. These steps can help shrink your lab's carbon footprint while reducing costs.

To avoid throwing away unused lab consumables, consider donating excess supplies to other organizations, such as local schools. Also, investigate whether your institution has a giveaway room or holds supply clean-out events where you can offer unused supplies to other labs.

Recycling for Greener Labs

Corning is committed to sustainability all the way from product design to end-of-life, and since 2016, over 160,000 pounds of plastic have been recycled through Corning's recycling program. For more information on Corning's packaging recycling program, visit the program webpage or speak to your Corning Account Manager. Visit Corning's sustainability resource page to learn about Corning's environmental protection programs and how you can get involved.