We aim for optimal resource management and to minimise waste production.

The best way to combat waste is to reduce its production from the start.

Share or reuse

We share lab equipment whenever possible, borrow lab equipment and materials from each other, and pass on lab equipment that is no longer needed:

• SDU has an online resource portal with equipment and furniture that SDU employees can access for free
• The Faculty of Science has a homepage showing their advanced research infrastructure and contact information
• The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has a database with all the large/expensive department equipment
• We have a common database with all our chemicals to enable sharing and borrowing

Reduce

We try to reduce our lab’s consumption and contribution to landfill in the following ways:

• Sharing resources (e.g. equipment, reagents/chemicals, and consumables)
• Purchasing items that have long lifetimes or eliminate waste streams
• Influencing vendors positively (reduce packaging, use reusable/biodegradable packaging etc)
• Using reduced-plastic utensils and reusable plastic
• Using glass instead of plasticware
• Using digital administration (instead of paper copies)

Reuse and Recycle

We aim to have take-back programmes wherever possible and work with management companies, and manufacturers.

We currently have agreements on various take-back programmes, for example:

• Ice Bricks are collected for reuse by vendors (Kem-En-Tec)
• Polystyrene/Styrofoam boxes are collected for reuse by a local biotech company (PentaBase), and the rest is recycled via Marius Pedersen (waste management company)

Repair

We have a workshop which repairs everything from instruments to office chairs

Coordinating of purchasing

See under Purchasing.