Waste

The disposal of P2 waste, whether solid, sharp, or liquid, is managed by the SV-IN You will find all necessary information on their website.

For example, solutions inactivated by autoclave are still considered as special waste (Management of special waste at EPFL)

• Reduce your need in the first place by re-using, borrowing, or considering a glassware alternative.
• Incorporate the 5 R’s- Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Reform & Recycle.
• Ensure you know where to recycle non-contaminated paper, plastics and other types of packaging: Eco-Points
• Favor companies/suppliers offering take-back schemes to reduce the amount of waste generated by your labs.

Open question.

The goal is to set up a take-back scheme with suppliers, with a common collection point amongst all labs which produce this type of waste. 

If you already have a functional workflow for this matter, please reach out so we might try to extend to other labs. 

• Purchase tips in bulk bags and/or stack packs.
• Re-use tip boxes as much as possible within the lab. They are made of polypropylene (PP) which is a very robust and safe type of plastic.
• Re-purpose tip boxes to organize small items in your labs or in your homes and other locations (e.g., screws, nails, sewing threads etc.)
• Optimize the workflow of the experiment and you might succeed in reducing the number of tips needed to do the work.
• Mind the autoclave. Autoclave tip boxes only when truly necessary for your experiment.

? Take part in a Plastic workshop to learn about plastics lifecycles and debate on solutions.

ℹ️ Plastic upcycling student project: Plast It Back