Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil, enough energy to power a house for 6 months.
Autoclaves are necessary equipment in our research facilities to sterilize equipment, reagents, and hazardous waste. This equipment consumes an enormous amount of water.
What can you do to reduce water waste?
- Only run autoclaves when full. Consolidate your load with your colleagues in your group or from neigboring groups.
- Use the most efficient cycle possible.
- If you are considering to purchase a new autoclave, make sure it's the right size. If you run 5 cycles or less per day, consider non-jacketed autoclaves which consume less water and energy.
You can find more information on the water and energy use of different autoclave models in this study from My Green Labs in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) and Envete.
You will find this sign on the Belfer Research Building's autoclaves. This sign was developed as part of a bigger water consevation effort (DEP Water Challenge 2018-2020) which included reducing the operating schedule of Belfer's autoclaves. Read more on the adjustments made to the Belfer's autoclaves and their savings here.
