TerraCycle Introduces ScienceCycle: A National Recycling Solution for Non-hazardous Laboratory Waste
TerraCycle has launched ScienceCycle, a national recycling solution designed to divert as much non-hazardous laboratory waste as possible from landfill and incineration.
ScienceCycle has been created to offer laboratories a simple and convenient way to recycle a number of common waste streams which are not collected through municipal recycling services. TerraCycle has developed innovative solutions for hundreds of the planet’s most difficult-to-recycle waste streams, and ScienceCycle utilises their Zero Waste Box solution to enable laboratories to recycle items including centrifuge tubes, laboratory plastic, personal protective equipment and disinfectant wipes, which would otherwise be destined for landfill and incineration due to the complex mix of materials they contain.
The issue of lab waste is not new. A 2015 study by the University of Exeter's bioscience department estimated that biologically-oriented research institutions alone could generate 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, yet when it comes to recycling, the industry has a long way to go.
Due to the complex nature of lab work, and the risk of potential contamination with hazardous materials, there is a conservative attitude towards the disposal of laboratory waste, meaning clean and non-hazardous recyclable packaging is often sent for incineration for fear of breaking waste disposal laws. In fact, research from the World Healthcare Organisation has found that 85% of healthcare waste is not considered hazardous, demonstrating a much wider scope for recycling lab materials.
ScienceCycle has been developed to make it easier for laboratories to increase the amount of waste they recycle, and TerraCycle has identified several common laboratory waste streams that either cannot be recycled through traditional means, or often end up being disposed of as hazardous waste. These hard to recycle laboratory generated waste streams can now be recycled via 12 different Zero Waste Box types:
- Centrifuge Tubes & Rigid Lab Plastics - Zero Waste Box
- Safety Equipment and Protective Gear - Zero Waste Box
- Disposable Garments - Zero Waste Box
- Disposable Gloves - Zero Waste Box
- Disposable Face Masks - Zero Waste Box
- Earplugs - Zero Waste Box
- Beard Nets and Hair Nets - Zero Waste Box
- Protective Eyewear - Zero Waste Box
- Synthetic Disinfectant Wipes - Zero Waste Box
- Pipette Tip Boxes - Zero Waste Box
- Disposable Gloves and Face Masks - Zero Waste Box
- Mixed Beard Nets, Earplugs and Hair Nets - Zero Waste Box
Once collected, laboratory products and packaging are sorted and separated by material composition. The separated items are then cleaned, shredded, and made into new recycled products such as outdoor furniture and decking, playgrounds, benches, or watering cans.
Julien Tremblin, General Manager for TerraCycle Europe commented: “Laboratories have shown great initiative in recent years when it comes to embracing sustainability, but improving recyclability has proven challenging. This is largely due to a lack of available solutions, and confusion around the sector’s strict disposal guidelines. ScienceCycle has been launched in order to tackle both issues, by providing an easy to use recycling solution for some of the trickier laboratory waste streams, and encouraging professionals to rethink their waste disposal practices.”