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Laboratory Waste Reduction Initiative

Laboratory Waste Reduction Initiative. Post Graduate Students’ Society Environment Committee ( PGSSec ). Goals of the survey. To determine how labs think about and handle (electronic, chemical, plastic/paper) laboratory waste To identify specific deficiencies in lab waste reduction practices

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Laboratory Waste Reduction Initiative

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  1. Laboratory Waste Reduction Initiative Post Graduate Students’ Society Environment Committee (PGSSec)

  2. Goals of the survey • To determine how labs think about and handle (electronic, chemical, plastic/paper) laboratory waste • To identify specific deficiencies in lab waste reduction practices • To obtain information about less wasteful alternatives (eg. Less toxic chemicals, more eco-friendly suppliers…) • To evaluate the receptiveness of researchers to potential waste reduction initiatives (e.g. centralized chemical database)

  3. Preliminary Survey Results • 47 labs as of March 2008 • Departments surveyed: • Biology • Biochemistry • Microbiology & Immunology

  4. Results I: General Lab-Waste Reduction Practices 45% Return styrofoam packaging to suppliers 62% Use double sided printing/photocopying. 40% Turn off equipment when not in use. 51% Turn off computers & monitors when not in use 2% Have an incentive program that rewards waste reduction and cost savings

  5. Results II: Has your lab implemented training programs or policies to inform research assistants/students about proper waste management techniques (including waste reduction)? All of these labs cited WHMIS or EHS training, no actual waste reduction training!

  6. Results III: Use of Chemicals Toxicity of Chemicals: 9% Know which chemicals they currently use could be replaced to reduce amount and/or toxicity of waste generated 37% Already use less toxic alternatives Centralized Chemical Database: 64% Have an electronic chemical inventory. 64% Support a centralized chemical inventory database to facilitate the sharing of chemicals between labs.

  7. Results IV: Purchasing decisions 29% Make purchasing decisions that take into account waste reduction: 67% Purchase equipment that produces less waste. 33% Purchase from companies that use less packaging and/or recycle packaging. 33% Purchase products that can be recycled. Why not? buy what is cheapest, had not thought about it, and don’t know differences between companies (lack of education on which purchases would be better).

  8. Most Important/Relevant Waste Reduction Issues Cited • Infrastructure for laboratory plastics recycling • Better education on how to reduce waste • Reducing amount of packaging from suppliers • Reducing chemical waste/implementing centralized chemical database • Reducing energy consumption

  9. What’s next? • Survey more labs in different departments • Research alternatives suggested by survey respondents. • Disseminate research and survey results • Begin lab waste reduction initiative(s)…

  10. Questions, comments, more information: priyanka.sundaram@gmail.com E-EVOLVE PGSSec PGSS Environment Committee enviro.pgss@mail.mcgill.ca

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