I’m not a scientist and I had no idea about the quantity of waste generated in laboratories.
Blog by Anita Crouch
Take gloves, for instance. Essential PPE to be worn every day by every student while working in the laboratory. In 2025, the Centre for Medical Mycology laboratories filled a 90-litre recycling bin with disposable gloves in just three weeks. A student estimated this amounted to 4,651 gloves — enough, if laid end to end, to stretch approximately 1.1 kilometres, the distance from Geoffrey Pope reception to Exeter Central Station.
Gloves are just part of the picture of the range of waste created in research laboratories – scientific research is among the most energy- and resource-intensive sectors globally, with its carbon footprint estimated to rival that of the aviation industry, contributing approximately 2 % of global greenhouse gas emissions, which is why agencies and organisations that fund research are encouraging change by embedding sustainable practice in their grant fund criteria.
Green accreditations such as LEAF and Green DiSC are frameworks for adopting and maintaining sustainable practices in science labs. From the familiar reduce, reuse, recycle formula, to considering transport costs for consumables, these frameworks help identify changes that can be made in research labs.
The University of Exeter’s Sustainable Labs team has created the Sustainable Labs Resource Hub Sharepoint to support staff and students to develop creative, impactful solutions that reduce environmental impact, promote circular practices, and drive long-term change.
With the help of funded sustainability initiatives and the support of the sustainable labs team, research labs can work towards Green Accreditations – which is fast becoming a core expectation from funding bodies and institutions.
Amy Cotton from the Sustainable Labs team introduced me to Charlie (Lab Technician) and Matt (Lab Manager) on St Lukes campus, who are working towards Gold LEAF accreditation for their sports science research labs.
Charlie and Matt said that working towards Gold was possibly easier for them because of the nature of their laboratory space (more exercise machines than flasks and chemicals), but it was clear that sustainability has become a way of thinking, and making the relevant changes is now second nature for them. This, and reduced funding (as everywhere), have motivated them to transform their research labs.
Charlie commented that many of the changes seemed obvious once they were established, like reminders to switch off lights, buying in bulk (but not overbuying), using refills and liquid measures for washing liquids, and using timers on plugs. With a bit of research, they found they could change the freezer temperatures by 10˚C so they use less energy without compromising the contents – like reducing your washing machine temperature by 10˚C to save on your electricity bill – only here there are multiple freezers!
They have found some changes need to be planned ahead, or a minor change in process – like order and delivery arrangements for large gas bottles (imagine a Sodastream gas bottle, but about 6ft tall) – incredibly heavy, heat sensitive – so expensive to transport – and the empty bottles are returnable. Matt has been working to strike the right balance between coordinating deliveries to reduce travel requirements and avoiding excessive funds being tied up in bottle deposits.
The Sustainable Labs Resource Hub (Sharepoint) is a comprehensive and impressive piece of work. The team behind it is dedicated to supporting onboarding of sustainability practice in all labs and promoting long-term adherence to the practice. The new Sustainable Labs induction is to be completed by all staff working in laboratory environments as part of their mandatory training.
The team is now looking at how they can engage teaching staff and students, recognising that students’ awareness of sustainability actions will lead to greater change in the workplace. Sustainability is a strategic priority for the University of Exeter, but the sustainable labs team is working hard to help ensure that it transitions to an institutional ethos.
Oh, and the gloves project – One year on, the scale of recycling has grown significantly. The laboratory has calculated that around 55,000 gloves have now been diverted for recycling. Placed end to end, this would span roughly 13.3 kilometres — the equivalent of travelling from Geoffrey Pope reception to Starcross, or 7,381 Taylor Swifts lying head to toe!
By diverting gloves from incineration, the project generated an estimated reduction of 3 tonnes CO₂ per year; and clinical waste production reduced by over 60%. Whilst the use of some resources like gloves can’t be avoided, the Sustainable Labs team have demonstrated clear ways to reduce the impact of these – and other – essential items.