A Pipette Tip Has the Lifespan of a Mayfly

Pipette tips in stunning blue

I recently purchased a 1000 bag of pipette tips, the disposable plastic tips to micropipettes. They're one use only. In order to make 25 standard solutions, I can use upwards of 50 of these little guys. Multiply that by years of lab work by millions of people around the world and what do you get? A crapload of oil-based plastic waste that's either landfilled or worse, sent to an incinerator as hazardous waste. In some cases, these tips are sterilized before use, which requires high temperatures and even more petroleum.

The case of the poor pipette tip brings me to question the wastefulness of science research in general. The concept of green chemistry implores engineers and chemists to design more sustainable processes. However, the research required to establish these processes is wasteful in and of itself. The term "environmental researcher" is an oxymoron. We're hypocrites. We use chemicals derived from petroleum, metals that have been mined, and one-use vials and test tubes: all of which are delivered in excessively padded boxes 4 sizes too large.

An issue with university research, in particular, is that students are constantly moving into and out of labs. What happens to the leftover chemicals? They sit in cabinets until some curious person sees that the faded brown label sporting an expiry date from 10 years ago. My first thought, whenever I see one of those bottles, is that I'm going to die, either from the fumes or from an explosion. "RIP Ritu Gopal: young life taken by poorly inventoried lab cabinet." Why do these chemicals sit around for so long? One reason is that no one needed them. Another is that unless someone's lab is well inventoried, supplies can be forgotten and the items repurchased, creating a surplus of various glassware and chemicals.

With the exception of forgotten materials, the biggest reasons for wastefulness in research are safety and accuracy. The question is, where can we make the compromises? Safety is priority #1 and always will be, and there's no point to research if the results aren't valid. What do you think are some ways to safely reduce our waste? Is it possible?

Here are some resources I found. The search didn't turn up much:
MIT's list of green suppliers
Basic advice for greening your lab
From a wider perspective

If you have access to NU VPN or a subscription to Science, definitely check this out: This Man Wants to Green Your Lab

Thanks Brooke for giving me the idea to vent my frustration.