Bioingeniøren (Nov 2024)
Waste Sorting in the Laboratory: A step towards greener practices
Abstract
Background: Medical laboratories generate large amounts of waste. To promote sustainability in laboratory practice, waste management is one of several measures. The first step in waste management improvement is to examine current practices. In this study, we mapped waste separation and reviewed the different information sources on waste sorting at Fürst Medical Laboratory. The employees were also asked to suggest measures to reduce plastic waste in the laboratory. Method: A digital questionnaire was distributed to 240 laboratory employees. The findings were summarized using descriptive statistics. To find correlation between answers, cross-table and Pearson's chi-square tests were used. Results: The form was completed by 126 persons (response rate 53%). All respondents stated that they sorted cardboard and paper. Respectively, 91% and 87% sorted hazardous and soft plastic waste, while 21% sorted polystyrene and 19% glass. Most (75%) respondents received information about waste separation from procedures in the quality assurance system. Employees who received good information about waste separation also stated to a greater extent that it was easy to sort, compared to those who stated that they did not receive enough information (p <0.001). Most (74%) of the respondents felt that suppliers of laboratory materials should reduce the use of plastic. Conclusion: All respondents practice waste separation, but different types of waste were found to be sorted to varying degrees. The main source of information on waste separation is procedures in the laboratory’s quality assurance system, and those who report receiving enough information about sorting find it easier to sort. To reduce plastic waste, suppliers of laboratory materials should limit the use of plastic.
