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Find recycling programs and responsible end-of-use options for your products
Circularity is a transformative approach to sustainability, where products are designed, used, and recycled continuously, minimizing waste and conserving resources. Our guide helps you manage the end-of-use phase of your products by providing information on various plastics and materials, along with information on where and who can recycle them. We make recycling accessible by helping you locate programs and major recyclers in your area.
Our aim is to provide you with the knowledge and resources needed to help support getting your products recycled and repurposed effectively. Our take-back programs reclaim instruments and components, avoiding wasteful disposal and meeting global recycling requirements. Let us help you recycle, preventing excess waste from occupying space in your lab or landfill.
Our guidance covers the recycling of plastic labware and instruments deemed nonhazardous according to local and country-specific regulations. The listed recyclers have a broad regional presence, helping to ensure accessibility for many users. Detailed instructions and further information on recycling can be obtained from the respective recycling programs and providers. This guidance currently applies to the United States and selected European countries only.*
Together, we can close the loop and build a more sustainable future.
Recycling Guide
Choose your product type to view recycling options. Key to resin types are also provided.
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Labware and Supplies |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Multilayer film |
Bioprocess containers (BPCs), Bioprocess bags |
Thermo Fisher BPC Recycling (United States)
|
Silicone |
Tubing |
Not commonly available |
TPE |
Tubing |
Not commonly available |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#5 PP with PES membrane |
Syringe filters |
Polycarbin (United States) Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, United Kingdom, United States) |
#6 PS with PES membrane |
Disposable filter units, bottletop filters |
Polycarbin (United States) |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#4 LDPE |
Nalgene LDPE Jugs with Closure |
Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
#5 PP / PPCO |
Nalgene PPCO Jugs with Closures, Nalgene Wide-Mouth Straight Sided PPCO Jars with Closure |
Polycarbin (United States) Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
#7 PC |
Nalgene Straight-Sided Wide-Mouth, Polycarbonate Jars with Closure |
Not commonly available |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#6 PS |
Petri dishes |
Polycarbin (United States)
Veolia (France, United Kingdom) |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#5 PP |
Pipette tips |
Thermo Scientific TipCycle Program (United Kingdom, United States) |
#5 PP |
Pipette tip racks and boxes |
Thermo Scientific TipCycle Program (United Kingdom, United States) |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#1 PET |
Nalgene Square PET Media Bottles |
Readily recyclable and accepted by most recycling programs |
#2 HDPE |
Nalgene high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles, Nalgene HDPE Tamper Evident Closures, lids |
Readily recyclable and accepted by most recycling programs |
#4 LDPE |
Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
|
#5 PP / PPCO |
Nalgene Polypropylene (PPCO) bottles, Nalgene Polypropylene Pour Spout, lids |
Polycarbin (United States) Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
#7 PC |
Not commonly available |
|
#7 PETG |
Polycarbin (United States) |
|
#7 FEP/PFA |
Not commonly available |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
#5 PP / PPCO |
Microplates, deep-well plates, plate covers |
Polycarbin (United States) Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
#6 PS |
Clear microplate lids, plates |
Polycarbin (United States)
Veolia (France, United Kingdom) |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
PE |
Transport container lids |
Polycarbin (United States)
Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
#5 PP / PPCO |
Flip top vials, centrifuge tubes, microcentrifuge tubes, conical tubes |
Polycarbin (United States) Triumvirate Environmental (United States)
Veolia (France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) |
 |
Lab Equipment, Instruments and Accessories |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Mixed materials with copper |
iBlot Transfer Stacks |
Thermo Fisher recycling program (European Union, United States) |
Mixed material electronic chips |
Ion Torrent sequencing chips |
Thermo Fisher recycling program |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Mixed material reagent cartridge |
SeqStudio Cartridge |
Thermo Fisher recycling program (European Union, United States) |
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Chromatography and mass spectrometry without coolants, refrigerants, or gases |
|
|
High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) instruments |
Dionex Summit HPLC Systems, Thermo Scientific Accla LC Systems, Thermo Finnigan Surveyor HPLC Systems |
|
Mass Spectrometry |
Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer, HRAM Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer |
|
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Lab equipment with coolants or refrigerants |
Refrigerators, incubators |
|
Lab equipment with coolants or refrigerants |
Freezers |
|
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Lab instruments without coolant refrigerants, or gases |
|
|
Electron Microscopy |
Electron Microscopes |
|
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Lab instruments without coolant refrigerants, or gasses |
|
|
Electron Microscopy |
Electron Microscopes |
|
| Material type | Product example | Suggested recycling (location) |
Systems without coolant refrigerants, or gases |
qPCR, PCR systems |
|
Sample Prep |
KingFisher Flex, KingFisher Presto or MagMax Express 96 Particle Processor |
|
PCR Instruments |
Real-Time PCR, Digital PCR, QuantStudio PCR Systems |
|
Thermal cyclers |
Applied Biosystems Thermal Cyclers, ProFlex PCR Systems, Veriti Thermal Cyclers |
|
Key to acronyms, resin identification codes and common names for plastics types
EPS (#6): Expanded polystyrene FEP (#7): Fluorinated ethylene propylene HDPE (#2): High density polyethylene LDPE (#4): Low density polyethylene PC (#7): Polycarbonate PE: Polyethylene PES: Polyether Sulfone PET/PETE (#1): Polyethylene terephthalate PETG (#7): Polyethylene terephthalate glycol PFA (#7): Perfluoroalkoxy PP (#5): Polypropylene PPCO (#5): Polypropylene copolymer PS (#6): Polystyrene TPE: Thermoplastic elastomers |
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Compliance with the European Union’s Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive
Products with this symbol are required to comply with the European Union’s Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive 2012/19/EU.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has various trade-in, returns, and recycling programs for instruments. For any inquiries, please reach out to your Thermo Fisher representative. |
*Thermo Fisher Scientific and its affiliates make no assertions or guarantees as to the services/products that third-party recyclers offer or their accuracy with regard to processes, results or outcomes. Thermo Fisher Scientific takes no legal or financial responsibility for services, products or the statements made by third-party recyclers, either on this page or in its marketing materials. Each customer of these recyclers must make its own determinations in whether to utilize these entities for their intended purposes.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.