Laboratory plastics analysis

A study has analysed the five-year consumption of plastics in laboratories at Uppsala University 2020–2024, using procurement records combined with supplier product weights. The study concludes that it is possible to decrease the negative environmental impact by changing habits in usage of single-use items of fossil plastics.

The analysis showed that clinical waste bins and gloves are the largest contributors to plastic expenditure by mass, together accounting for nearly half of all plastics. Changing the handling of these single-use plastics is therefore a good start. Other major plastic waste contributors include pipette tips, tubes, and cell culture items.

The results highlight the importance of focusing reduction efforts on heavy and large volume single-use items.

The study is called Estimating laboratory plastics consumption at Uppsala University between years 2020 and 2024 by Selin et al.

Laboratory plastics, Selin m.fl. (2026) (Updated 2026-04-07) pdf, 513 kB.