Cutting Laboratory Plastic Waste: The Power of Reusable Consumables

Written by Caitlin Harclerode – Sr. Director of Marketing, Grenova

The Environmental Impact of Laboratory Plastic Waste

Over the past decade, single-use plastics have emerged as a critical component in the life sciences industry, offering a unique combination of convenience, sterility, and cost-effectiveness. While single-use plastics have played a pivotal role in advancing the industry, it is crucial to acknowledge their environmental repercussions. The widespread adoption of single-use plastics has led to a significant increase in plastic waste generating over  12 billion pounds of plastic waste (1) per year. As the demand for consumables in labs continues to rise, finding sustainable solutions has become imperative​​.

Plastic consumables, particularly pipette tips and plates, are a significant source of waste in laboratories. Broader studies estimate that the production of a single 96-rack of polypropylene pipette tips releases approximately 0.304 kilograms of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) and requires about 6.6 liters of water(2,3,4)​​. When scaled to the level of a typical laboratory's usage, the environmental impact of manufacturing becomes substantial. With laboratories using these consumables regularly, the cumulative effect on carbon emissions and water usage is staggering. Compounding this effect, the disposal of this plastic contributes significantly to environmental pollution, hazardous waste, carbon emissions, and resource depletion​​.

Sustainable Solutions

When it comes to plastic consumables, we must rethink the traditional “make, use, dispose” model and create opportunities to reuse what we have. The life sciences industry needs to move toward using plastics efficiently and transitioning to a closed-loop system where plastic retains its value by keeping it in the supply chain instead of polluting the environment. In effect, this creates a circular economy that eliminates waste and pollution, keeps materials in use, and restores nature. Laboratories can play a crucial role in this shift by adopting practices that contribute to a circular economy by forming partnerships with suppliers who prioritize sustainability.

One potential method to mitigate environmental impact is by washing and reusing pipette tips and plates. Validation studies from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)(5) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)(6) demonstrate that washed tips are of the same quality as new tips, with no evidence of contamination​​. Integrated solutions, like Grenova's tip and plate washing systems, allow laboratories to significantly reduce their reliance on single-use plastics. Instruments can be programmed to help scientists use tips in a way that becomes a seamless part of the workflow. Such systems allow laboratories to wash and reuse pipette tips and plates multiple times without compromising research quality.

For plastic that must be used, new options are emerging for recycling and reuse of the material. While part of the responsibility lies with lab managers to conscientiously dispose of their plastic waste, manufacturers must also take responsibility for their products’ end-of-life and find ways to “close the loop.” Implementing dedicated recycling programs within lab spaces can ensure that single-use plastics are collected and reprocessed into new lab products, reducing the demand for virgin materials. Additionally, manufacturers can develop biodegradable alternatives for commonly used lab plastics, further contributing to a circular economy. Collaborations between manufacturers, end users in labs, and closed-loop recycling solutions can accelerate this transformation to a lower-carbon life sciences industry.

Quantifying the Impact

By reusing plastics instead of disposing of them, positive environmental impacts are achieved on multiple fronts. It reduces the need for producing new plastic items, along with lowering the environmental costs associated with packaging, transportation, and disposal. This leads to a decrease in CO2e emissions, water consumption, and hazardous plastic waste. By quantifying and forecasting these reductions, labs can better understand the benefits of implementing a pipette tip-washing solution. For instance, as shown in the image below, using calculations from climate-focused firm Rho Impact, it can be estimated that a lab using 8,500 tip racks annually and reusing each tip ten times could achieve a reduction of 5.3 tons of CO2e(2,7).

Operational costs can also be realized by not purchasing consumables. A study conducted by the Tobacco Exposure Biomarkers Laboratory of CDC that implemented a Grenova tip washer concluded that using cleaned pipette tips can save over $24,000 annually(6)​​. In the case of a customer using 8,500 racks annually, priced at $8.00 per rack, this could translate to a savings of $61,200 per year. The potential cost savings, combined with the reduced supply chain dependencies, makes a compelling case for laboratories to transition to reusable consumables.

​We Can Do Better

The life sciences industry must take proactive steps towards sustainability. With the projected growth of the industry, the plastic waste generated will only continue to increase unless significant changes are made​​. It is not just the responsibility of individual labs but a collective effort that requires the collaboration of manufacturers, end-users, and policymakers. By embracing the adoption of reusable pipette tips and plates through advanced washing technologies, like Grenova, laboratories can make substantial contributions to environmental sustainability while also realizing economic benefits. This initiative not only addresses the immediate need to reduce plastic waste but also sets a precedent for sustainable practices in scientific research and healthcare.

Join us here to explore how adopting practices like tip washing can reduce plastic waste and calculate your potential sustainability impact. Together, we can all do better in reducing plastic waste and creating a more sustainable future for the life sciences industry. Every small step counts in making a big difference.

References

1. https://s23.q4cdn.com/595160625/files/LifeLines_March2021.pdf.
2. Nicholson, Scott R., Nicholas A. Rorrer, Alberta C. Carpenter, and Gregg T. Beckham. “Manufacturing Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Plastics Consumption.” Joule 5, no. 3 (March 17, 2021): 673–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.12.027.
3. UK 2020 Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2020. From: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy water supply tab.
4. Korol 2019 Korol, Jerzy, Aleksander Hejna, Dorota Burchart-Korol, Błażej Chmielnicki, and Klaudiusz Wypiór. “Water Footprint Assessment of Selected Polymers, Polymer Blends, Composites, and Biocomposites for Industrial Application.” Polymers 11, no. 11 (November 2019): 1791. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11111791.  
5. Travers, J., Whitt, N., Chen L., Todd, C., Frebert S., Michael S., Klumpp-Thomas, C. (2019, February 2-6). Reduction of Plastic Waste Through the Use of Automated Pipette Tip Washing [Poster presentation]. SLAS, Washington, D.C., USA.
6. Choi, D., McGahee, E. III, Brosius, C., Brown, J., Guillot, T., Lee, J., Xia, B., Wang, L. (2019) Integrating tip washer into automation system waste management procedures [Poster presentation].
7. Mannheim, Viktoria, and Zoltan Simenfalvi. “Total Life Cycle of Polypropylene Products: Reducing Environmental Impacts in the Manufacturing Phase.” Polymers 12, no. 9 (August 24, 2020): 1901. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12091901.