Institute of Safety Technology Research (ISTR) Autumn Symposia: Managing Laboratory and Research Waste Members Event. (Left to Right: Robert Henry (Senior Commercial Manager), Gemma Ellis (Commercial Manager), Jason Ratcliffe (Technical Routing Manager ).
The Institute of Safety in Technology and Research (ISTR) Autumn Symposia took place in Manchester on the 13th and 14th of Nov. ISTR members numerously voted for this year’s annual event to focus on ‘Managing Laboratory and Research Waste’, so it was no surprise that event was sold out, attracting over one hundred delegates.
Tradebe was invited by the University of York to present alongside them at this year’s ISTR Autumn Symposia 2019 Managing Laboratory and Research Waste. The presentation focused on the work Tradebe has been doing with the University in relation to recycling laboratory plastic consumables.
Robert Henry, Senior Commercial Manager in the Tradebe Polymers Division comments:
“Some laboratories can generate a lot of plastic consumable waste due the day-to-day dependency on single-use plastics. The waste comes in many different forms including; pipette tips and boxes; culture dishes, plates and flasks; test tubes; vials etc. Due to contamination they often get deemed as non-recyclable, however this is not the case.
“Most common plastics in labs are indeed recyclable, which include polystyrene, polypropylene and high-density or low-density polyethylene. When plastic waste generation is unavoidable, the key to recycling is to implement a plastic segregation system and educate the lab users to correctly identify the plastic types and segregate at source. The plastic is sent for granulation at a specialist recycling facility, such as the ones we operate in the UK. Our plastics have been used in double glazing packers, plastic wood, garden furniture and much, much more.
“Laboratories gain huge environmental benefits by diverting plastic waste streams from landfill, but often can be surprised to find it’s a more cost-effective solution, as you can avoid costs such as those associated with autoclaving and landfill.
“Tradebe have in-house expertise in both laboratory waste and plastic recycling, so we are perfectly suited to drive and lead laboratory plastic waste recycling initiatives in the industry. We are currently working with a number of laboratories who are now successfully seeing large amounts of their plastic waste being diverted from landfill.”
Laboratory Services Available
We offer a complete range of laboratory services, including:
- Laboratory Waste Services
- Mobile Chemist Services
- Laboratory Decontamination, Relocations & Closures
- Laboratory Plastic Recycling
- Laboratory Radiation Monitor Calibration, Repairs & Sales
Contact Details
For more information, please contact Gemma Ellis: Commercial Manager Lab Services on:
0333 240 4065
