Simple Steps to a Greener Laboratory

Laboratories contribute to significant scientific discoveries in our ecosystem, curing diseases, developing drugs and medicines, but they are also huge environmental polluters. This article covers a few simple steps to a greener laboratory that will not only save money but also the planet.

While research in the lab can help us to understand our environment, lab work can also produce an incredible volume of waste and also uses a significant amount of water and electricity.

A research lab is not a place you would consider eco-friendly. It is easy to see the large amount of avoidable plastic waste while walking around, such as pipette tips, racks, and unnecessarily large Styrofoam boxes. Energy waste is more difficult to miss, with equipment left on overnight, and special freezers, sterile ventilation systems, and computers left on standby.

The conscious act of recycling is an extremely effective way to protect our environment and preserve our future.

By making a few simple changes, we can reduce our environmental impact significantly and make the lab greener.

Use Less Energy

• Keep equipment turned off when not in use. The equipment with heating or cooling elements can be on timers and they reach the correct temperature before you arrive in the lab.
• Close the fume hood. It is used to suck toxic fumes away and if left open for the same period, consumes a staggering amount of energy. Don't forget the ultra-low temperature freezers, which store only a few or expired samples and eliminate under-utilized storage space.

Reduce Plastic Usage

• All plastics should be recycled if not able to be re-used. Look for automation instruments that dramatically reduce plastics, like the I.DOT, which does not use pipette heads.

Save Water

• Utilize intermittent recirculation tanks to store excess water and keep it pure without using a great deal of energy.

Choose Sustainable Vendors

• You can choose to order from sustainable suppliers that are also committed to reducing their own carbon footprint by working with companies who are actively green.

Bring eco-consciousness into the laboratory; all it requires is simple research and a commitment to making life science research greener. The results – a greater impact!

Our mission at DISPENDIX is to create the future of health and that even includes our planet. If our environment is toxic, these impurities in the air and water get into our food and have an adverse effect on our health. We are committed to reducing our own environmental footprint, we have place initiatives in our offices and production facilities.