Does science have a plastic problem? Microbiologists take steps to
reducing plastic waste

Date:
October 15, 2020
Source:
Microbiology Society
Summary:
A research group developed an approach to reduce plastic waste
produced by their lab. They have shared their approach with the
hope that other labs will follow suit.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A research group developed an approach to reduce plastic waste produced
by their lab. They have shared their approach with the hope that other
labs will follow suit.


==========================================================================
Led by Dr Amy Pickering and Dr Joana Alves, the lab replaced single-use plastics with re-useable equipment. Where alternatives were not available,
the group decontaminated and re-used plastic equipment which would have
usually been thrown away after one use. "We knew that we were using
plastic daily in our research, but it wasn't until we took the time
to quantify the waste that the volumes being used really hit home. That
really emphasized the need for us to introduce plastic reducing measures,"
said Dr Pickering.

The lab developed a new scheme which focused on sustainability, moving
away from the use of single-use plastics wherever possible. In some
cases, the research group would use reusable wooden or metal items
instead of plastic. If there were no alternatives, the group focused
on reusing plastic equipment by chemically decontaminating the plastic
tubes before a second level of decontamination under heat and pressure --
known as autoclaving.

To determine the success of the scheme, the lab of seven researchers
spent four weeks documenting the plastic waste produced in regular
conditions. They then measured the amount of waste produced over the next
seven weeks with new processes to reduce the consumption of single-use
plastic. "Once the measures were in place it was quickly clear that
large impacts were being seen. The most surprising thing for us was
how resilient some plastics are to being autoclaved and therefore how
many times they can be re-used. This means that we were able to save
more plastic than we originally anticipated," said Dr Pickering. In implementing these replace and reuse practises, 1670 tubes and 1300
loops were saved during a four-week period. This led to a 43-kilogram
reduction in waste.

The typical microbiology laboratory uses mostly disposable plastic,
which is often not recycled due to biological contamination. In 2014, 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste were generated in research laboratories worldwide. The Edinburgh lab works with dangerous disease-causing
bacteria, due to the dangers of contamination, their waste must be
autoclaved and incinerated at a high environmental and monetary cost.

Practices to reduce plastic waste in research labs is becoming
increasingly popular in the UK, with researchers from the University
of York decontaminating and re-using plastic flasks and researchers
from a chemistry lab in Edinburgh recycling 1 million plastic gloves in
2019. "It's important to take some time identifying what plastic items you
are using the most. This will allow you to identify both the easy wins,
such as replacing plastic inoculation loops for re-useable metal ones,
as well as the bigger tasks, such as re-using plastic tubes. That will
help you to bring others on board and build momentum," said Dr Pickering.

The new protocols not only prevent plastic waste, but also save money
according to Dr Pickering: "Over a 3-month period of implementing the
protocols we will have saved over -L-400 of plastic tubes, inoculation
loops, and cuvettes" she said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Microbiology_Society. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Joana Alves, Fiona A. Sargison, Hanne Stawarz, Willow B. Fox,
Samuel G.

Huete, Amany Hassan, Brian McTeir, Amy C. Pickering. A case
report: insights into reducing plastic waste in a microbiology
laboratory. Access Microbiology, 2020; DOI: 10.1099/acmi.0.000173 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201015003437.htm

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