At the Dunn School, we've found a sustainable and cost-effective solution to a problem we once faced: excessive expenditure and environmental footprint related to the use of 15-50ml centrifuge tubes. Previously, we spent approximately £14,000 per year on these tubes. However, we've now implemented a system for their collection, washing, and reuse until their lids no longer fit well or they change shape, which reduces our CO2e footprint by up to 11-fold according to a recent study by Martin Farley and Benoit P. Nicolet (Read More).

The initiative was initially started at the Dunn School for the Raff Lab by Saroj Saurya, and later assisted by Anne Hedegaard. It is now fully managed by the 'Washing Up' team at Dunn School.

Collection Points for Main Labs: Used, empty Greiner Bio-One tubes should be placed on the tube racks in the designated red crates. Please refrain from including tubes used with hazardous materials, chemicals, or in Cat3 labs. There is no need to rinse or wipe off the labels. We extend our gratitude to  washing up facility who currently collect and regenerate them for the whole of the Dunn School.

The regenerated tubes are available for collection free of charge from the EPA foyer. They're typically packaged in polybags or cardboard boxes for your convenience.

Our Centrifuge Tubes Reuse Initiative is a testament to our commitment to sustainability, demonstrating how effective resource management can have a significant positive environmental impact and contribute to financial savings.