University of Birmingham tackles laboratory plastic waste through pioneering recycling scheme

The University of Birmingham has completed its first major collection of disposable laboratory gloves for recycling.

The disposable gloves will help to tackle one of the most persistent sources of plastic waste in scientific research and teaching.

Joining the RightCycle™ laboratory glove recycling programme in 2025, the school of chemistry and the collaborative teaching laboratory are two of the first departments at Birmingham to successfully implement a waste-reducing programme of this kind.

Through this ongoing collaboration, uncontaminated gloves are collected and processed into new products - rather than being sent for incineration or landfill – highlighting the University’s efforts to take meaningful steps towards reducing laboratory waste.

Laboratories are major users of single-use plastics, making waste reduction a significant challenge across the higher education sector.

Initiatives such as laboratory glove recycling demonstrate how practical, innovative solutions can help reduce environmental impact while supporting research and teaching activities.

Once collected, the lab gloves are shipped to RightCycle™ service providers, where they are transformed into pellets used to manufacture a range of everyday items - including playground surfacing, outdoor furniture and sustainable building materials.

The first collection saw 680kg of laboratory gloves, equivalent to more than 113,000 individual gloves, diverted from disposal and recycled through the RightCycle™ programme.

Zoe Hurley, head of sustainability at the University of Birmingham, said: “This achievement shows how sustainability can be embedded into every aspect of University life, including our research and teaching laboratories.

“By finding new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle materials that would otherwise become waste, we're taking meaningful steps towards our environmental goals while supporting a culture of sustainability across the University community.

“This is a result of a fantastic collaborative effort from colleagues across the University, coming together to find innovative ways to begin to tackle sustainability challenges, through participation in our Green Laboratory Accreditation Scheme.”

The success of the programme has already generated interest across the University, with other Schools exploring opportunities to introduce laboratory glove recycling schemes of their own.

The results highlight how simple changes to everyday laboratory practices can contribute to the University's wider sustainability ambitions.

The green laboratory accreditation scheme, recognised by Wellcome and Cancer Research UK, is designed to assist researchers to continue to deliver important and life-changing research, whilst being sustainable and working in a way that protects our environment.

Mala Patel, sustainability lead for the college of engineering and physical sciences and head of operations for the collaborative teaching laboratory, said: “This initiative is a great example of what can be achieved when colleagues work together to address sustainability challenges.

“The enthusiasm and commitment shown by staff and students have been instrumental in making the programme a success.”