Innovative tech turns 72,000 contaminated single-use lab bottles into recyclable plastic

Scotland’s public water utility has recently become the first in the world to adopt a new technology that can convert contaminated laboratory plastics into material suitable for recycling. Stepps-based Scottish Water adopted the Envetec Sustainable Technologies novel Generations technology in a bid to tackle the large quantities of single-use plastic generated by its labs. Its Scientific Services teams has processed roughly 72,000 sample bottles with the approach. In addition, the firm has now expanded its use to microbiological plastics, such as Petri dishes and pipette tips. These materials could previously not be recycled due to potential contamination. Elise Cartmel, Scottish Water’s net zero general manager, stressed the project’s potential. “We’re really pleased to be working with Envetec to lead the way with this innovative technology,” Cartmel added. Contaminated lab plastics The company carries out about three million analytical tests every year at labs in Edinburgh, Inverness and other locations across the country. It uses the tests to monitor water quality, protect public health and safeguard the environment. With that in mind, meeting the strict testing standards requires large amounts of sterile, single-use plastic. This makes the Scientific Services team the company’s largest producer of plastic waste. “We carry out millions of tests in our labs every year to protect public health and the environment, and that relies on single-use plastics,” Cartmel explained. Scottish Water used the technology to enable a circular economy for plastics. Credit: Envetec Even though Scottish Water already recycled uncontaminated sample bottles, the Generations technology offers a much better way to process large volumes of the waste. The utility said it can even tackle plastic contaminated with microbiological material. The system simultaneously disinfects and shreds lab plastics on site via a chemical process. Once treated, the material can be prepared for recycling. Potentially contaminated plastics previously had to be autoclaved, a process that uses high-pressure steam to sterilize laboratory waste. Even after treatment, some could not be recycled and had to be sent to landfill or incinerated. Managing waste The approach reduces reliance on autoclaving, incineration and landfill and also lowers the associated energy and water use. “It allows us to handle these waste streams in a more environmentally friendly way, reducing what goes to landfill or incineration while maintaining the high standards our customers expect,” Cartmel concluded. At the same time, it also offers a clearer picture of what happens to the waste. It records information on waste volumes, material and polymer types, lab sources, downstream pathways and indicative emissions savings. As per Scottish Water, this data can be used to improve traceability and reporting. It could also help identify additional waste streams that could be treated with the same approach. On top of that, the system is also slashing the time employees spend to manually handle sample bottles. It further cuts the number of plastic recycling collections required. “Scottish Water is demonstrating how essential laboratory plastics can be managed differently after use,” Malcolm Bell, Envetec CEO shared in a press release. “Generations is helping laboratories treat selected waste streams on site, capture useful operational data, and support meaningful material recovery.”Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her work has appeared in Daily Mail, Mirror, Daily Star, Yahoo, NationalWorld, Newsweek, Press Gazette and others. She covers stories on batteries, wind energy, sustainable shipping and new discoveries. When she's not chasing the next big science story, she's traveling, exploring new cultures, or enjoying good food with even better wine.