Pipette tip and box recycling

UBC Okanagan laboratories generate thousands of pipette tips, tubes, and boxes each year.

To help reduce plastic waste, two specialized recycling programs are available: one for used pipette tips and tubes (including conicals), and another for empty pipette tip boxes and inserts. Each program follows a unique recycling process and is supported by a dedicated supplier, contributing to a more sustainable research environment.

Program Registration

To register your lab for UBC Okanagan’s Pipette tip and tube recycling and/or the Pipette tip box recycling, please email us with the following details:

  • Name of the faculty member responsible for the lab
  • Contact information for the primary contact (such as a research assistant or lab manager)
  • Building name and lab room number
  • The program(s) you’d like to register for (e.g., Pipette tip and tube recycling and/or Pipette tip box recycling)

Once we receive your information, we’ll follow up with next steps.

Pipette tip and tube recycling

Thousands of pipette tips, microcentrifuge tubes and conical tubes are used in UBC Okanagan laboratories each year.

To help divert this plastic waste from the landfill, a closed-loop recycling program is available through Polycarbin.

Accepted material

Non-biohazard or chemically contaminated pipette tips, microcentrifuge tubes and conical tubes.

Recycling process

Used tips and tubes are placed in designated collection bins and sent to a recycling facility, where they are sanitized at high heat, then sorted, shredded, and prepared for melting. The processed material is transformed into pellets, which are remanufactured into new lab products—helping avoid downcycling. These recycled products are then made available for purchase and reuse in labs.

Measuring Results

The material collected during the 2023 pilot diverted over 40.62kg of material from the landfill. Check back regularly for progress reports on material collected from the program.

Measured outcomes are expected to improve waste diversion, greenhouse gas reductions and cost savings.

Pipette tip box recycling

Thousands of pipette tips and their associated boxes are used annually in UBC Okanagan research.

To divert this waste from the landfill, a recycling program for pipette tip boxes and inserts is available through Avantor.

Accepted materials

Non-biohazard or chemically contaminated pipette tip boxes and inserts.

Recycling process

Empty pipette tip boxes and inserts are placed in designated collection bins and transported to a recycling facility. There, the materials are sanitized at high heat, then sorted, shredded, and prepared for melting. The processed pieces are melted down into pellets, which are then remanufactured into new products such as park benches.

Measuring results

To date, the recycling program has diverted 131.66kg of material from the landfill. Check back regularly for progress reports on material collected from the program.

Impacts measured are projected to have a positive impact on waste diversion, greenhouse gas reductions, and cost savings.