This Monday March 30th marks the International Day of Zero Waste. As members of a scientific community dedicated to preserving life, especially for future generations, this is a valuable opportunity to reflect on how we can improve our footprint.
Biomedical research generates a significant amount of waste, particularly single-use plastics, which are often necessary to ensure safety, sterility, and experimental rigour. It is estimated that as researchers, the carbon footprint from this work will be 100X our personal impact. One example is that in 2021 we calculated that ~3500 kg of plastic for research was purchased at IRCM.
The good news is that, through increased awareness and collective behavioural change, we can begin to turn the tide. Even small actions can have a meaningful impact: reusing an item just once reduces waste by 50%; choose the smallest suitable plastic item for an experiment—a 0.5mlL tube is 1/3 the plastic mass of a 1.5 mL one--can significantly decrease plastic consumption. When repeated across a research centre with many laboratories, these small decisions add up and make a real difference.
At the IRCM, collective efforts from our Green Committee, formed in 2021, are helping to raise awareness, reduce our environmental footprint, and rethink waste management. This is no small task in a research environment where constraints are real and challenges are numerous: legitimate concerns about compromising experiments, contamination risks, costs, disruptions to established routines, and resistance to change.
Despite these barriers, the IRCM is moving forward in a pragmatic yet determined way toward more sustainable practices.
Looking back over the last few years, meaningful progress has been made. Composting was first introduced to IRCM in the cafeteria and is now expanded to coffee areas. Local solutions have also been prioritized, including using a local companies to recycle personal protective equipment and collect containers for consignment (in collaboration with the student association).
Within our laboratories, we have improved recycling practices by carefully documenting and updating guidance on how to sort different types of waste, and which lab materials can be recycled. Several structured initiatives have also been adopted, such as group purchasing of glass pipettes to replace certain disposable plastic ones, the implementation of a tube washing and sharing system for 15 mL and 50 mL tubes in collaboration with the dish washing facility. Another impactful action is collecting cold packs for donation to Meals on Wheels Montreal. All of these initiatives were driven by research trainees and staff donating their time, energy, ideas and experience.
Moving Ahead
While much remains to be done, IRCM is committed to continuing this progress. In the immediate future, we are expanding recycling of lab plastics with CedLo, a company that processes plastics for reuse in building other items and accepts many lab plastics. We have had a pilot project running for just over one year, with 5-6 IRCM labs and the IRCM clinic. Collecting plastics for CedLo recycling is as simple as incorporating an extra designated bin. We are now launching an initiative to expand the project across the institute.
IRCM is also working with an innovative Montreal-based startup company, Phoenix Impact. Phoenix Impact aims to reduce plastic waste by cleaning and sterilizing plastics and returning them for reuse, a process that can be repeated several times. This includes plastic items that cannot be recycled so typically end up in landfills. Five IRCM labs have worked with Phoenix over the last year; with IRCM’s support, the company has received “early adopter” MEIE funding that will decrease the cost of the service, making it accessible to more labs at IRCM. Our strategy at IRCM is to be open to innovation, rigorous in implementation, and ready to adapt as new sustainability strategies emerge.
Beyond infrastructure, we are also working to foster a shared culture where sustainability is embedded in everyday lab practices, training, and research activities. Every action counts.
On this Zero Waste Day, let us commit to the small actions that help build a more sustainable tomorrow. Have a great day!
