Towards greener and more sustainable pre-clinical oncology research

Abstract

Single-use plastics (SUPs) are used widely in cancer research laboratories. They are cheap, durable, and lightweight, and until now have been considered disposable items. This, however, contributes significantly to unsustainable waste production. SUP waste is typically diverted to landfill or incineration, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, taking many years to degrade. Lack of robust SUP waste disposal streams, particularly in cancer research labs has long term effects on the environment. Having identified that a single laboratory researcher in our group generates at least 15 kg SUP tissue culture waste alone each year, we explore some of the issues associated with SUPs in pre-clinical oncology research, discussing potential reuse routes, alternative materials for labware and developing circular approaches to plastic consumption to address the green agenda. We also propose recommendations for improving sustainability in cancer research labs.

Fig. 1. Impact of conventional SUP Petri dishes with those made from PLA on adhesion and growth of MCF-7 cells and the effects of autoclaving.

Equivalent numbers of MCF-7 cells were plated onto SUP Petri dishes (Greiner; a) or PLA Petri dishes (Planet-Safe®; b) in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 5% FBS (suppliers listed in Table 1). Cell adherence and growth after 3 days in culture appeared identical. One experimental example from a series of 3 is illustrated. After autoclaving the SUP dish formed a dense solid mass c while the PLA one was brittle and broke into fragments d. Scale bar = 500 μm.