From waste to resource: The untapped value of the separate collection of single-use laboratory plastics to enable recycling
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Chemistry and Centre for Synthetic Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- 2Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- 3Department of Materials Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
- 4Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Abstract
In the face of the sustainability crisis, scientific laboratories, as resource-intensive units, must conduct research more sustainably. They are estimated to produce 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. Clearly, there is a need for greater circularity: Reduce-and-reuse frameworks for laboratory plastics exist to some extent, but none for recycling of disposed single-use articles. Biologically contaminated plastics from life science labs are disinfected by autoclaving after use, transforming them into conventional residual waste that is mostly incinerated, resulting in high CO2 eq. emissions. However, this waste stream consists of high-quality polymers, for which (thermo-)mechanical recycling is technically possible. Therefore, we performed a waste assessment of lab plastics and found in a one-week assessment that the majority of the residual waste consisted of recyclable plastics. However, autoclaving causes these mixed fractions to clump together. Thus, we created a separate collection scheme for the two most abundant plastic types, polystyrene and polypropylene, enabling us to retrieve high-quality monostream polymer fractions for (thermo-)mechanical recycling. This study is the first to present a transferable blueprint with detailed instructions for other institutions on how to implement the separate collection scheme. We obtained user feedback on the feasibility and demonstrated 85% user acceptance. Further, this study provides the first quantitative assessment of emission-saving potential associated with substituting incineration with (thermo-)mechanical recycling for laboratory single-use plastics. For two end-of-life scenarios – an institution-specific scenario at the University of Konstanz (waste incinerated in Weinfelden, Switzerland) and a national average (Germany) scenario – we calculated the average annual emission-saving potentials for the extrapolated amount of arising waste to be up to 10.6 t CO2 eq. and 7.2 t CO2 eq., respectively. Therefore, a separate collection of lab plastic waste offers an easy-to-implement measure to reduce incinerated plastic waste, thereby lowering emissions and increasing the sustainability of laboratory research. Author summary: In response to the growing environmental polycrisis, we, as scientists, are looking at our own footprint, e.g., in our life science laboratories. These rely heavily on single-use plastics, thereby generating large amounts of waste. Despite being high-quality and technically recyclable, the used plastics are incinerated, resulting in avoidable emissions. This is a result of our waste handling: it must be disinfected under conditions that cause different plastics to clump together, making them impossible to recycle. Here, we address the gap between current disposal practices and an effective strategy for enabling recycling. We analyzed laboratory waste stream composition and found that the majority consisted of technically recyclable single-use articles. We then developed and tested a system that separately collects the two most common plastic types, polystyrene and polypropylene, at the source, allowing them to be recycled rather than incinerated. This approach was designed to be practical, transferable, and easy for other institutions to adopt. Importantly, laboratory users largely accepted the new system, showing its feasibility. Additionally, we quantified the potential reduction in emissions from replacing incineration with recycling across different scenarios. Overall, our findings show that separating laboratory plastic waste is a straightforward and effective way to lower emissions and the environmental impact of scientific research.
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BibTeX
@article{schell2026from,
title = {{From waste to resource: The untapped value of the separate collection of single-use laboratory plastics to enable recycling}},
author = {Bianca R. Schell and Ann-Katrin Emmerich and Arooba Nazneen and Marc Widenmeyer and Anke Weidenkaff and Nico Bruns},
journal = {PLOS Sustainability and Transformation},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pstr.0000225},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000225},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - From waste to resource: The untapped value of the separate collection of single-use laboratory plastics to enable recycling
AU - Bianca R. Schell
AU - Ann-Katrin Emmerich
AU - Arooba Nazneen
AU - Marc Widenmeyer
AU - Anke Weidenkaff
AU - Nico Bruns
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
JO - PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
DO - 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000225
UR - https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000225
AB - In the face of the sustainability crisis, scientific laboratories, as resource-intensive units, must conduct research more sustainably. They are estimated to produce 5.5 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. Clearly, there is a need for greater circularity: Reduce-and-reuse frameworks for laboratory plastics exist to some extent, but none for recycling of disposed single-use articles. Biologically contaminated plastics from life science labs are disinfected by autoclaving after use, transforming them into conventional residual waste that is mostly incinerated, resulting in high CO2 eq. emissions. However, this waste stream consists of high-quality polymers, for which (thermo-)mechanical recycling is technically possible. Therefore, we performed a waste assessment of lab plastics and found in a one-week assessment that the majority of the residual waste consisted of recyclable plastics. However, autoclaving causes these mixed fractions to clump together. Thus, we created a separate collection scheme for the two most abundant plastic types, polystyrene and polypropylene, enabling us to retrieve high-quality monostream polymer fractions for (thermo-)mechanical recycling. This study is the first to present a transferable blueprint with detailed instructions for other institutions on how to implement the separate collection scheme. We obtained user feedback on the feasibility and demonstrated 85% user acceptance. Further, this study provides the first quantitative assessment of emission-saving potential associated with substituting incineration with (thermo-)mechanical recycling for laboratory single-use plastics. For two end-of-life scenarios – an institution-specific scenario at the University of Konstanz (waste incinerated in Weinfelden, Switzerland) and a national average (Germany) scenario – we calculated the average annual emission-saving potentials for the extrapolated amount of arising waste to be up to 10.6 t CO2 eq. and 7.2 t CO2 eq., respectively. Therefore, a separate collection of lab plastic waste offers an easy-to-implement measure to reduce incinerated plastic waste, thereby lowering emissions and increasing the sustainability of laboratory research. Author summary: In response to the growing environmental polycrisis, we, as scientists, are looking at our own footprint, e.g., in our life science laboratories. These rely heavily on single-use plastics, thereby generating large amounts of waste. Despite being high-quality and technically recyclable, the used plastics are incinerated, resulting in avoidable emissions. This is a result of our waste handling: it must be disinfected under conditions that cause different plastics to clump together, making them impossible to recycle. Here, we address the gap between current disposal practices and an effective strategy for enabling recycling. We analyzed laboratory waste stream composition and found that the majority consisted of technically recyclable single-use articles. We then developed and tested a system that separately collects the two most common plastic types, polystyrene and polypropylene, at the source, allowing them to be recycled rather than incinerated. This approach was designed to be practical, transferable, and easy for other institutions to adopt. Importantly, laboratory users largely accepted the new system, showing its feasibility. Additionally, we quantified the potential reduction in emissions from replacing incineration with recycling across different scenarios. Overall, our findings show that separating laboratory plastic waste is a straightforward and effective way to lower emissions and the environmental impact of scientific research.
SN - 2767-3197
ER -