There now exists an urgency to recycle lab materials. Nature estimates that lab plastics waste accounted for 5.5 million tons in 2014, roughly the estimated tonnage of 67 cruise liners—and this estimate only speaks to one of the many types of waste created by labs.

The quantity and variety of waste generated depends on the type of lab, as the lab and research industry can be broadly defined to include hospitals, universities, pharmaceutical corporations and regulatory agencies. Every lab is different and creates a mix of natural and synthetic materials, which may include glass, plastic, hybrid material, lab garments, and nitrile and rubber gloves. These materials are dumped in the same landfills that are flowing into our oceans, release chemicals into the air and take up more and more of our land.