People in America who use pipet tips: probably 10k People who use plastic straws: 300 mil
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Like seriously, we save SO much money on tips.
Researchers shouldn’t have to live off of tips.
I work in healthcare and sometimes I think about the amount of waste I generate in a day and it’s wild
Tbf, I remember the times we reused everything, even tubes.
And it was a mess and there is so much evidence that the whole process of reusing is even worse for the environment.
I recently saw paper straws for sale in a carboard box with a cutout so you could physically touch the straws. Naturally, I was revolted.
My headcanon says that this used to have a plastic window instead, until someone pointed out that having a plastic window in packaging of paper straws is ridiculous, so they decided to remove it. A package redesign without a window was also proposed, but was rejected for budgetary reasons.
Its a matter of scale. If labs went through pipette tips the same way that fast food joints went through plastic straws, they’d be banned too.
And we don’t throw pipette tips in the ocean, we throw them in the biohazard box. While not better for the environment, at least we don’t choke baby turtles.
The lab is a much more controlled environment. I trust a lab tech to dispose of the tips as per protocol, which could reduce the number of tips that end up as litter.
Some estimates claim that (life) science produces about 2% of worldwide plastic waste even though only 0.1% of the population works in this industry. I’m not sure how accurate these estimates are, but I find them believable considering how much waste I see every day in labs. On the upside, this waste usually stays in contained systems and doesn’t end up in the ocean.
To avoid plastic waste, they use now paper straws …wrapped individualy in plastic. Genius
Plastic nowadays is inevitable, but at least the use of biodegradable plastic made from modified natural pulps is growing. Plastic is just a generic term for artificial materials and not all of them are harmful, and a lot of these also can be easy recycled. PET are often converted to filaments for 3D printers or yarns for clothing. Bad only if they are thrown into nature or into the sea
Ah, but you must see that recycling costs money! It’s cheaper to pretend you’re recycling and just throw it in the oceans and rivers and landscapes!
I hate it here. We even throw out online returns nearly 100% of the time for all it’s worth, it’s fucking crazy.
I feel like you might be doing something wrong.
Multi-channel pipette goes brrrrrr
Having to dispense a different volume to every sample goes faaaaack.
Well take the global number of people who do that and multiply it by their average yearly usage and then compare it against the global plastic straw usage in tons.
If it is far lower, it is fine.
If it is close or higher, just advocate for proper recycling/disposal.
