Life cycle and behavioral analysis of single-use research laboratory plastic recycling on a college campus

Purpose University research laboratories generate large volumes of single-use plastics, particularly polypropylene (PP) research waste (e.g. pipette tips). While reduction and reuse strategies remain the preferred actions within the circular economy hierarchy (e.g. 10R/3R: reduce, reuse, recycle), these are rarely feasible at scale in laboratory environments without workflow redesign and education. This study aims to examine the technical, environmental, behavioral and implementation feasibility of a decentralized recycling system within an engineering department in a higher education research setting. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a department-wide survey of engineering researchers to assess usage patterns, barriers and adoption attitudes. This study describes a pilot recycling process implemented on campus at a public university in Texas, USA. This process recycles non-hazardous research plastics (i.e. pipette tips) by collecting, shredding and injecting the materials into molds to create new lab products. To quantify potential environmental impacts and applicability of this implementation, this study conducted a process-specific Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), aligned with ISO 14040, 14044 and 14067 and an economic analysis of the process. Findings Survey results indicated strong willingness to recycle, with contamination and cost parity identified as key adoption barriers. Analysis on willingness to pay showed an elastic demand, with adoption dropping sharply if recycled products are more expensive. The LCA demonstrated that decentralized in-lab recycling in engineering departments can reduce cumulative energy demand compared to virgin PP production, while eliminating transport emissions and achieving high conversion efficiency. This economic analysis demonstrates the feasibility of this process as a decentralized campus solution within engineering academic environments. Additionally, this study produces intangible value by training students, targeting sustainability goals and creating spaces for collaboration and learning. Research limitations/implications The findings are based on one department with a relatively small sample size and lab-scale process data, limiting generalizability. Future work should expand to other departments and evaluate recycled product performance in precision applications. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to combine behavioral analysis with environmental assessment of decentralized plastic recycling in an engineering department within a university campus. This study demonstrates the potential for integrating decentralized recycling into university sustainability programs, bridging technical performance with user adoption and implementation feasibility.