Labs produce a lot of waste (5.5 million tonnes of plastic alone (Nature 2015, DOI: 10.1038/528479c); However, some of what we dispose of can be saved. A circular economy is an alternative to the traditional linear economy, which follows a take-make-waste model. Linear economies are placing a huge burden on the environment and changes must be made to how we manage resources, create products and dispose materials. Circular economies focus on keeping resources in use for as long as possible and one of the core elements is preserving and extending the life of what has already been made. By keeping products and materials in use, economies will still be able to thrive without harming the environment. Some key benefits of circular economies are less waste production, reducing the environmental impact associated with production,promoting resource productivity and readiness to address resource scarcity in the future.
In the context of STEM, circular economy principles can be applied in laboratories to reduce their environmental impact. A large and important issue in laboratories is waste disposal - an extremely resource and cost-intensive process, especially when it is considered hazardous. Promoting circular economies can help address the waste problem at-source and reduce the amount of waste produced by labs.
Laboratory equipment is a necessity for research and when items approach the end of their life, we forget about them or immediately think about disposing them which can be difficult and wasteful. Following the core principles of a circular economy, we can preserve and extend the life of our existing instruments by repairing them, a much more sustainable alternative.
Recently, technical staff in the Biomedical Sciences building at the University of Bristol have successfully set up an in-house pipette repair shop in co-ordination with Gilson, refurbishing and re-homing previously unloved pipettes. Most labs have a ‘pipette graveyard’, typically a drawer where old, unloved pipettes go to die. Many of these can be made as good as new with calibration and replacement of minor parts. The technical team has driven an initiative to clear out these spaces, thus freeing up much needed storage in labs. Refurbished pipettes have been returned and made available to labs in need of new or replacement pipettes at a significantly reduced cost. So far, just over 20 pipettes have been given a new home which, in turn, has saved end users over £3,500. Over 60 pipettes have been collected, refurbished and are available to end users, where they would have otherwise sat redundant in drawers. Repairing instruments, whenever possible and reasonable, can extend its life and decrease the production of waste, thus promoting sustainability in the lab.
There are clear environmental and financial benefits in choosing to be more sustainable. Circular economies can help us generate less waste, use resources more productively and prepare us for resource scarcity should it ever arise. Shifting to a sustainable mindset will promote more sustainable practices. Making greener choices in the lab can directly reduce your carbon footprint and it is more important now than ever to put sustainability at the core of STEM.