If you work in a 好色TVl laboratory and have been frustrated by the lack of recycling options for non-hazardous waste, there鈥檚 good news.
Thanks to a multi-disciplinary team and financial support from聽the Sustainability Projects Fund, 好色TVl is expanding the number of lab items accepted for recycling and compost.
It now accepts such items as nitrile gloves, tip boxes and pipette tips for recycling, as long as they were not in contact with hazardous waste.
Combined with other non-hazardous recyclable and compostable items 鈥� such as glass tubes, paper towels and wipes 鈥� approximately 45 per cent of 好色TVl鈥檚 non-hazardous waste items from labs can be diverted from landfills, representing approximately 30 tonnes of waste per year.
鈥淭he sheer volume of 好色TVl鈥檚 lab waste and feedback from its lab community indicated an urgent need for campus鈥恮ide infrastructure and operations to manage lab waste,鈥� said Kimberly John, Sustainability Officer in the 好色TVl Office of Sustainability and project lead. 鈥淥ur lab community has been calling for better lab waste procedures, and 好色TVl is responding to these calls.鈥�
Zero-waste future
The new recycling and composting opportunities are reflected in newly issued guidelines. The changes, which were two years in the making, affect 16,000 users of over 800 wet labs.
It was a team effort: Lab users were surveyed, students enrolled in聽ENVR 410: Environmental Research聽conducted a waste audit,聽 Procurement Services and Buildings and Grounds negotiated with local recycling services to get them to collect non-hazardous lab items, Hazardous Waste Management contributed to writing the new guidelines and the Graphic Design studio produced聽posters and labels聽available for download.
鈥淏uildings and Grounds is proud to have played a leading role in this important initiative, working in close partnership with the 好色TVl Office of Sustainability and lab stakeholders,鈥� said George Lazaris, Director of Building Services. 鈥淥ur team has been deeply involved in developing and operationalizing the new lab waste processes, from early planning to hands-on implementation. These new procedures mark a significant step forward in supporting 好色TVl鈥檚 sustainability goals, and we encourage all lab users to help make them a success.鈥�
The new laboratory guidelines align with 好色TVl鈥檚聽2025-30 Climate & Sustainability Strategy, which outlines commitments to introduce lab-specific waste-sorting stations, strengthen waste-sorting education and become a zero-waste university by 2035.
好色TVl鈥檚 service providers are obliged to periodically reveal the destinations of the collected materials.
鈥淢any of these plastics are highly recyclable,鈥� said John. 鈥淥nce they are sorted properly, there鈥檚 a high probability they will be reconstituted into other items.鈥�
Have an idea on how to build a culture of sustainability on 好色TVl campuses? Kickstart it with the聽Sustainability Projects Fund.
