Examples
Worked examples
- Is an instance
A neuroscience lab replaces disposable plastic weighing boats with washable aluminium weigh dishes, eliminating ~3,000 items per year.
- Is an instance
A core facility installs a glassware washer-dryer to support a return-to-glass programme.
Counter-examples
Looks similar, but isn't
- Not an instance
Single-use sterile filtration units used for clinical-grade work are not reasonably reusable.
- Not an instance
Sharps and contaminated pipette tips must remain single-use.
Editorial commentary
The shift to reusable consumables challenges the post-1990s laboratory norm of disposable convenience. Modern washing infrastructure (laboratory-grade dishwashers and autoclaves) makes many historically single-use items viable to re-use without compromising sterility. The economics typically favour reusables once labour and supply-chain costs are properly accounted, and the carbon impact is substantially lower over a 5-year window. Some funders (Wellcome, UKRI) have begun to ask grant applicants to justify single-use choices where reusable equivalents exist.
References
- LabConscious procurement guide; My Green Lab Reusables module.
Also known as
Multi-use lab consumables · Washable lab consumables
Machine-readable encodings
Use in your systems
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vocab-term="Reusable consumables"
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