Washing away plastic waste in cancer research

As a relatively new laboratory, the team at the Innovation Hub were aware of the need for sustainability initiatives from the start. The lab is equipped with motion-sensitive lights, a dedicated low temperature freezer space and an environment conducive to sharing equipment and consumables across its 11 research groups.

Recently it has added a slide washer to its initiatives which enables plastic slides to be washed, dried and reused up to 50 times. The idea came from the Hewitt group which is investigating DNA Damage Response mechanisms in cancer and was met with immediate interest from the other groups in the lab. Led by Postdoctoral Research Associate Lucia Rampazzo, the Innovation Hub successfully applied for a grant from King’s Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) to pay for the iWash® Cell Counter Slides Cleaner which was installed in July 2024.

“Before the iWash® we would use plastic slides for automated cell counting and throw them away after one count,” says Aiste Bulviciene, laboratory technician in the Innovation Hub who leads on sustainability. ”It was a very clear example of single use plastic that was happening at a relatively large scale in our lab and had the potential to be reduced. The iWash was installed last summer and already we have washed and reused about 1600 slides which has already paid for two thirds of the machine.”

Adjusting the iWash® to the lab

The iWash® is very small, takes up little space and has no need for water or waste connections. The whole process of washing and drying takes about 20 seconds and, although the slides must be washed one-by-one, slides can be kept in a humidifier until the machine is available.

When the iWash® was first installed Aiste worked closely with the manufacturer – a scientist who wanted to improve sustainability in labs – to implement small tweaks so the system was purpose-built for the Innovation Hub. Each person is responsible for washing their own slides and the system works well, both in terms of reusing the slides and changing behaviour.

“Already we are seeing the environmental and financial savings,” says Aiste. “But I also think there has been a change in people’s awareness around plastic waste and the environment. By making the effort to wash your own slides for reuse rather than simply throwing them away, there is increased recognition of the impact of some of our practices in the lab which we previously didn’t question as they were simply more convenient.” 

Sharing is caring

As a large shared space the Innovation Hub is set up to for communal consumables which means chemicals, plasticware and glassware can all be shared between the different research groups. This reduces the amount of storage space required and contributes to sustainability through minimising wastage which is becoming increasingly important in the LEAF accreditation. As well as the direct impact of more efficient use of chemicals and other consumables within the lab there are also increased sustainability implications for reduction in transport and packaging for these products.

The Innovation Hub operates on a platform that enables researchers from other labs to share their equipment. Again, where possible, this is good sustainability practice as it reduces the carbon emissions through purchasing new equipment and requires more efficient use of existing equipment. It also has an indirect impact in that sharing equipment tends to encourage more environmentally-aware behaviour. As Aiste explains: “I think sustainability is a lot about community and sharing practices and joining forces. So in the case of shared space and equipment, people are obliged to turn off equipment, lighting and extraction when their time slot finishes to leave the space ready for the next person.”

Future sustainability options

Alongside the slide washer, the Innovation Hub has also introduced other suggestions from the King’s sustainability team. They are trying to ensure their freezers are maintained regularly and well-positioned to work to their optimum efficiency. They have also introduced beads to replace water baths for warming up cultures. To defrost cells effectively they have tweaked the method by putting a water beaker within the beads and the approach has now been integrated into the lab with the additional benefit of reducing contamination risk.

Looking to the future, the Innovation Hub are interested in becoming more sustainable with their clinical waste, working with King’s to separate it into different categories so that less waste from the lab is sent for high heat incineration. The team would also like to better quantify their sustainability impact so, for example, they could compare the emissions involved in installing and using a new iWash® compared to emissions from single use plastic slides. This would be helpful for accreditations like LEAF but also as a way to celebrate achievements and motivate people. “We’re working with scientists,” comments Aiste. “They want numbers and evidence for what we’re doing so we can make an informed decision as to which sustainability initiatives are working.”

As the first lab to use a slide washer in King’s, the Innovation Hub technical team are keen to assess its impact to help them communicate the benefits to both their own staff and further afield to other labs that might benefit from installing a similar machine.