“There is still room in the autoclave waste bin.” 👇
🗑️
Every cell culture lab has (at least) one: the autoclave waste bin that nobody wants to empty.
So, the waste gets pushed down.
Another flask.
Another tip.
Another experiment.
Pipettes, media residues, gloves, wipes.
➕ Then the waste of the next experiment goes in.
➕ Then the next.
➕ And the next.
👉 This is common practice in many cell culture labs.
The autoclave waste sits there day after day. Sometimes week after week.
😖 The more waste accumulates, the more opportunities for carryover of contaminants and cross-contamination.
👍 Textbook: “Remove biological waste promptly.”
👎 Reality: “There is still room.”
❗ Putting something into the autoclave waste does not mean you’ve removed it from the cell culture lab. It is still inside your controlled environment, and it can still affect experiments that follow. Your experiment isn’t finished until your waste has left the cell culture lab. ❗
Thank you all for sending your pictures of bad practices! Much appreciated! 👍😊
Author: asban