Are you looking for free lab supplies or have lab items you no longer need, but don’t want to throw away? The Lab Reuse Program is the solution for you!
Through this program, Office of Campus Sustainability (OCS) employees pick up unwanted supplies from labs (including chemicals), list them on an online inventory, and deliver any items U-M researchers request free of charge. This program diverted over 2,700 pounds of waste from landfills in FY 2024 and saved researchers more than $120,000 when compared to the cost of buying new supplies!
OCS also works with individual departments to plan Lab Swap Events, which allow researchers in specific buildings to donate things they don’t need and pick up items they can use at designated locations. After successful events at NCRC and MSRB in May saved researchers over $75,000 and diverted over 1,800 pounds of waste, the final spring Lab Swap Event will be held at BSRB on June 12.
OCS and LSA Sustainability have combined the idea of the online ordering system and swap events to create a permanent shopping location where researchers can—in person—look for free consumables and equipment one day a week or by appointment. Join OCS and LSA Sustainability on Thursday June 6 at 1 p.m. for the opening of The Lab Swap Shop in North University Building and be sure to check out the online inventory to get an idea of the items available! If you are one of the first 25 people there, you get a free air plant generously donated by Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.
If you are interested in learning more about resources for sustainable labs, visit this website or email [email protected].