As a result of the sustainability and savings realized by Hein's lab, UC Merced laboratory officials starting to think about making acetone recycling and waste disposal a campuswide initiative.
“We hope to make this common practice rather than the exception at UC Merced,” Vice Chancellor for Research Sam Traina said. “Not only does this allow us to contain our research cost and advance our sustainability agenda, but it's also an excellent example to our graduate student researchers on the practical use of ‘best practices’ in the research lab. This will serve them well when they leave UC Merced and set up research labs or chemical businesses of their own."
Hein said that’s precisely what he was hoping would happen. “It could become a campuswide initiative because, as research ramps up, chemical use and disposal could get very expensive,” he explained. "It’s a good chance to start a long-term sustainable practice that will also save the campus a lot of money."
Hein said acetone recycling has made washing and reusing even the smallest glass vials more cost-effective (compared to tossing them out after each use). “The program will save the researchers money by reducing the quantity of solvent purchased, and it will save the campus’s Office of Environmental Health & Safety money through reduced chemical disposal,” said EH&S Specialist Karen Smith.
Currently, the university is considered a small-quantity waste generator and is only required to remove hazardous waste off campus twice a year. Each shipment costs approximately $11,000 because the university has to pay $7 to $10 per pound of waste it ships out.
If UC Merced became a large-quantity waste generator, Smith explained, it would be required to remove waste four times per year. The recycling program will allow the campus to maintain its current small-quantity waste generator status and keep the environment that much cleaner.
Other universities are also paying attention to UC Merced's success story. The program has already attracted the interest of the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry. "We’d have to develop protocols and train people,” Hein said, “but I’m hoping we can put together a package of information so other campuses can implement this, too.”
