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You see it every day in the lab: bins overflowing with plastics such as pipette tips and racks, microcentrifuge tubes, reagent reservoirs and other plastic waste. Indeed, biological, medical, and agricultural labs are estimated to produce around 5.5 million tons of plastic waste annually. Combined, that equals the weight of about 67 cruise liners! All that plastic has consequences for our environment.
We can do better by adopting a culture of sustainability throughout our organizations. From management to bench-based scientists, staff need to be informed, educated, and motivated to make a change. For example, replacing pipette tip racks and refills with sustainable alternatives could make a noticeable reduction in your lab’s plastics waste, inspiring other efforts.
METTLER TOLEDO is proud to partner with My Green Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to permanently improving the sustainability of lab research and providing support and education for labs that want to develop a culture of sustainability.
We are also proud to offer a guide on the subject. Download it and start your program today by learning about a simple five-step process for doing your part in reducing plastic waste in the lab, including how to:
- Develop a culture of sustainability
- Identify the major sources of plastic waste
- Reduce the consumption of energy and plastics
- Choose more sustainable alternatives
- Improve your recycling program
