Since June 2025, 1.870 kg of rigid plastic generated in laboratories has been collected at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), mainly from pipette tip boxes and caps.
This type of waste is very common in research settings, where much of the material used on a daily basis is plastic and single-use. That is why separating rigid plastic is particularly important: when collected separately, it can be recycled more efficiently and turned into raw material for new uses.
The initiative grew out of a proposal from the grassroots group, which brought it to the PRBB Sustainability Board with a clear aim: to find a way to give this type of waste a second life. Since then, dedicated bins have been placed in the goods lift area on the hospital side so that Park staff can dispose of rigid plastic separately.
This material is collected in collaboration with EINA Inserció Laboral, a company specialising in the certified destruction of confidential documents. Making use of its transport system, EINA takes the material from the Park to a recycling plant in Esparreguera, where the plastic is processed into pellets that can be reused as raw material.
Beyond the environmental benefit of recycling one more waste stream, the initiative also has a social impact. EINA works to create job opportunities for young people currently or formerly in care who face barriers to entering the labour market, supporting them in their first professional steps and providing training and guidance for the future.
In this way, the collection of rigid plastic not only helps reduce waste and improve how it is managed within the Park, but also brings together sustainability and social inclusion in a single initiative.
