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Tell us what your lab uses, roughly how much plastic waste you generate and where you are based.
Laboratory plastic collection and recycling
We collect single-use plastics from your lab, decontaminate and recycle them and use the material to create new laboratory consumables. Keeping material out of incineration and in circulation.
How it works
From first conversation to reportable impact, here is what working with us looks like.
01 02 Site assessment
We agree what waste streams are in scope, how they should be segregated and what containers and labelling your team will need for the waste.
03 Set up and training
We deliver your collection containers and brief your team on segregation, so material arrives clean and traceable from day one.
04 Scheduled collections
We collect when you book us in. Every collection is logged, weighed and traceable through to processing using our Waste Tracker.
05 See your impact
Your recycling appears in the Waste Tracker, translated into the environmental savings against traditional disposal routes.
Meet AutoDecon
LabCycle's AutoDecon is a novel system designed to remove lab contaminants from single-use plastic waste, facilitating recycling and promoting a circular economy in research and healthcare sectors.
Why choose LabCycle?
Recover over 98% of material
Use over 70% less energy than autoclaving
Use 75% less water than autoclaving
Cut CO₂ emissions by up to 90% vs incineration
What's included
Compliant with the new DEFRA's Digital Waste Tracking service
Collection of agreed laboratory plastic waste streams, handled under our health, safety and contamination-control protocols.
Bins and labelling
Bins, segregation guidance and labelling so your team will know exactly what goes where.
Team training
Onboarding for lab staff, plus ongoing support when people join or your requirements change.
Full traceability
You can track all information we collect, including collection dates, weights and processing information, through our Waste Tracker.
Patented decontamination
Unique to LabCycle, we safely decontaminate accepted laboratory plastics so they can be recycled into new material.
Closed-loop option
Where feasible, the option to buy back lab consumables made from recycled laboratory plastic will be made possible.
What we can take
We handle the single-use plastics labs get through in the greatest volume.
- Petri dishes
- Pipette tips and tip boxes
- PCR tubes and plates
- Centrifuge tubes and sample tubes
- Culture flasks and multi-well plates
- Serological pipettes
- Syringes
- Open to discuss any other consumables not on the list.
What we cannot take
These streams fall outside our process and must go through your existing routes.
- Sharps and needles
- Radioactive, carcinogenic, reprotoxic, heavy metal waste
- Mixed general waste
How we compare
| Capability | LabCycle | Other recycling services | On-site waste treatment | Incineration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small setup cost | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| No extra operations staff required | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| No ongoing machinery maintenance contracts | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| No decontamination needed at your lab | Yes | No | Yes | Unknown |
| Recycling progress monitored and reported back | Yes | No | No | No |
| High-grade plastic recovered, with full LCA | Yes | No | No | No |
Comparison based on typical alternatives available to UK laboratories.
Proud to work with
Common questions
- Do I have to buy LabCycle products to use your recycling service?
- While we prefer to offer our customers a circular solution for their single-use lab plastics, our recycling service is independent of our products. You can use our service to recycle your scientific plastic waste and source products elsewhere, or choose to purchase recycled products from us. Either way, our aim is to keep valuable plastics in circulation and make science more sustainable.
- Can I see how much my organisation has recycled?
- Yes. Our waste tracking system gives customers visibility of their recycling activity and the impact they are making. You can track the volume of plastic recycled by your organisation and use this data to support your sustainability reporting and engagement.
- How is LabCycle different from other recycling services?
- LabCycle is specifically designed for the realities of scientific and healthcare environments, where plastic waste can be contaminated and conventional recycling routes may not be suitable. We decontaminate scientific plastic waste and turn it into a resource, providing a solution tailored to the needs of research and healthcare organisations.
- Are LabCycle products sterilised?
- Our products are manufactured in accordance with ISO 13485 quality management standards and can be supplied either pre-sterilised or for post-manufacture gamma sterilisation, depending on the product and customer requirements.