Adoption of single-use technologies in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry is growing at an estimated 20-24% per year. However, while the use of these technologies has a positive environmental impact on resources such as water and energy, the amount of single-use plastic consumed and subsequently incinerated or buried is increasing exponentially and is expected to grow to more than 112,000 tons by 2025. As a leading supplier of single-use components and assemblies, MilliporeSigma takes their environmental responsibility seriously. Their goal has been to provide customers a solution to recycle the plastic, helping them to attain their waste and recycling goals. Setting up a program such as this has three main challenges: First, many of the products are made from multiple plastics and materials that cannot be easily separated using standard recycling systems. Second, this waste is often classified as biohazardous and cannot be transported and recycled without first being sterilized. Third, today’s recycling business generally does not allow for traceability throughout the system, leading to potential ethical and labor- related risks associated with further processing of the plastic. These challenges were overcome by creating a partnership with Triumvirate Environmental, an organization that has developed a unique process to recycle plastic products into lumber to be used in the construction and landscape industries. This first-in-kind process addresses the hurdles for recycling of biopharmaceutical materials, which includes the ability to sterilize and recycle mixed-plastic biohazardous waste and provide 100% traceability throughout the process. Over the last two years, with fewer than 15 participants, over 2,300 tons of single-use waste has been recycled. This represents a significant reduction in landfill and incinerator and waste streams, resulting in a decrease of greenhouse gas emissions by more than 700 tons of carbon dioxide. Today, these single-use plastics are finding new life as plastic lumber sold by Triumvirate for use in construction, landscaping, and plastic shipping pallets. The result has opened up new job opportunities and produced an economically sustainable recycling process that is not dependent on sales of low-value plastic shred to outside manufacturers. This closed-loop system is just the beginning of re-thinking a challenging waste stream.

Recycling biopharma single-use plastics: Overcoming the challenges and lessons learned

2019 Spring National Meeting

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