Published: 08 Oct 2024
Category:
By Yasmin Ahmed
The Lodestone Project began as a student-lead initiative by second-year Clinical Pharmacology students at St George’s University of London (SGUL). Motivated by the need to reduce waste in university laboratories, our team partnered closely with Laboratory Services – Research Operations to champion sustainability across campus. Central to our mission was the promotion of the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) (LEAF - Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework | Sustainable UCL - UCL – University College London) program and fostering environmentally responsible practices throughout the university.
Our project set out with a clear and ambitious goal: to enhance sustainability efforts at SGUL by introducing a glove recycling program, inspired by a successful model at University College London (UCL). Nitrile gloves, a staple in laboratory settings for safety and hygiene, present significant environmental challenge, due to their disposal. Typically sent to landfills or incinerated, these gloves contribute substantially to pollution. Recognising that glove use in a laboratory environment is commonplace, we felt that this small action over time has the potential to lead to a large change.
To address this issue, we proposed the future introduction of AppCYCLE Lab Waste Recycling Boxes at SGUL. These innovative boxes are designed to transform dry plastic laboratory waste, such as uncontaminated nitrile gloves, into versatile Stormboards—sustainable materials that can be repurposed for various applications, ensuring a closed-loop recycling process. However, before making this investment, we needed to assess the feasibility and the impact of this solution.
We began with a pilot study, utilising simple cardboard boxes to collect uncontaminated gloves across the university's labs. Over two weeks, we monitored the volume of recyclable gloves generated, ensuring that only non-hazardous waste was included. This initial step was crucial in evaluating the potential of the recycling program and determining whether the investment in AppCYCLE boxes would be justified.
Our team managed the logistics of the project, from coordinating the distribution of collection boxes to overseeing their disposal. Frequent weigh-ins allowed us to track the amount of recyclable waste collected. This data gathered valuable insights into the potential impact of expanding the project university-wide and informing our decision on future investments in more advanced recycling solutions.
From our pilot data, we have a crude estimate that across the St George’s campus, there may be up to 400kg of uncontaminated nitrile gloves, over the course of just one year, that may be saved from incineration or landfill sites if we are able to recycle them.
A major milestone for the Lodestone Project is the recent approval of a grant titled: “Promoting Green Laboratories for Sustainable Science”. This funding will allow us to broaden our sustainability efforts, the development of interactive training modules to engage and educate both students and staff on sustainable practices at the university.
The success of the Lodestone Project illustrates that small, student-led initiatives can drive sustainability changes in academic settings. By tackling the specific issue of glove waste, we have not only reduced our environmental footprint but also established the foundation for broader sustainability initiatives at the university. With the support of the newly approved grant, we are eager to continue pushing the boundaries of sustainable laboratory practices, inspiring others to join us on this journey towards a greener future.
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