New Jersey lab supplier partners with TerraCycle on recycling

Studies show that research laboratories produce 12 billion pounds of plastic waste, or the equivalent weight of 400 Brooklyn Bridges every year, according to Trenton, New Jersey-based TerraCycle.

In response to this statistic, Thomas Scientific LLC, a Swedesboro, New Jersey-based supplier of equipment, chemicals and supply chain services to the scientific community, has partnered with TerraCycle to offer companies that purchase single-use disposable gloves from Thomas Scientific a sustainable recycling solution for the gloves after use. 

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“Thomas Scientific is excited to partner with TerraCycle in providing our customers with a proven recycling solution for disposable gloves,” says John Cincotta, senior vice president, category management and corporate marketing for Thomas Scientific. “This environmental initiative allows customers to recycle any brand of disposable nitrile, latex and vinyl gloves utilized within their operations. In assisting customers to meet their sustainability goals, Thomas is committed to expanding these services to additional consumables, including other forms of PPE and plastic laboratory products.”

Recognizing that disposable gloves are integral for protection in the laboratory setting, Thomas Scientific is offering its customers a turnkey recycling solution through the use of TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Pallet Program for disposable gloves.

This is how the TerraCycle Zero Waste Pallet program works:

• Step 1: Customers that purchased single-use disposable gloves can order a pallet from Thomas Scientific. The order is then shipped directly to their labs.
• Step 2: Upon receipt of the Zero Waste Pallet, employees set up the collection station in a high-traffic location in the laboratory to allow for easy collection of the spent gloves.
• Step 3: When the pallet is full, customers submit a Ready-to-Ship form to their Thomas Scientific representative for approval before shipping to TerraCycle for recycling. 
• Step 4: The single-use disposable gloves are recycled through TerraCycle and diverted from landfills.

The implementation of the TerraCycle Zero Waste Pallet program is part of Thomas Scientific’s commitment to protecting the environment to minimize its own environmental footprint and to offer a service to help their clients meet their sustainability goals. To achieve this, Thomas Scientific has partnered with leading companies, including TerraCycle, to provide an array of environmentally friendly service solutions for many of the products and equipment that they offer to the scientific community.