Scottish Water has become the first utility in the world to adopt an innovative technology aimed at substantially reducing plastic laboratory waste, making the handling process more efficient, lowering carbon emissions, and making it easier to track

Since January, around 72,000 sample bottles have been processed, and the technology is now being extended to microbiological plastics previously reliant on autoclaving and disposal.

GLASGOW, Scotland and BIRDHILL, Ireland, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scottish Water and Envetec Sustainable Technologies Limited (Envetec), a leading sustainability innovator in clean technology for healthcare and life sciences, today announced that Scottish Water has adopted Envetec’s GENERATIONS® technology to improve how high-volume laboratory plastics are handled after use.

While Scottish Water already recycled non-contaminated sample bottles, the new technology provides a more efficient route for processing them and, crucially, enables single-use plastics that may be contaminated with microbiological waste to be disinfected, shredded, and prepared for recycling for the first time.

Scottish Water completes around three million analytical tests each year across its laboratories in Edinburgh, Inverness, and other locations throughout Scotland to protect public health, maintain water quality, and safeguard the environment.

To ensure compliance with stringent regulatory standards, Scottish Water must use large quantities of single-use plastics in its laboratories, including sample bottles, petri dishes, and pipette tips, to support safe, sterile, and accurate testing, making its Scientific Services team the largest producer of plastic waste across the company.

“We carry out millions of tests in our labs every year to protect public health and the environment, and that relies on single-use plastics,” said Elise Cartmel, General Manager for Net Zero at Scottish Water. “We’re really pleased to be working with Envetec to lead the way with this innovative technology. It allows us to handle these waste streams in a more environmentally friendly way, reducing what goes to landfill or incineration while maintaining the high standards our customers expect.”

Since January, Scottish Water’s Scientific Services team has processed approximately 72,000 sample bottles through the new Envetec technology, reducing the time staff spend manually handling bottles and creating a more streamlined, traceable process for one of its highest-volume laboratory plastic streams.

The team is now extending the technology to microbiological plastic waste that has traditionally required autoclaving - a sterilisation process used in labs and healthcare settings to make equipment or samples completely free of microorganisms - before being sent to landfill or incineration because it could not previously be recycled.

By enabling these previously unrecyclable plastics to be treated for recycling, the new process supports a more circular approach while helping reduce energy demand, water use, and carbon associated with traditional treatment processes.

“Managing laboratory plastics after use has always been a challenge. We already had recycling routes for sample bottles, but GENERATIONS gives us a more efficient way to deal with high volumes of plastic and, importantly, enables us to recycle waste streams that could not previously be recycled because of potential microbiological contamination,” said Karen Rae, Senior Project Manager for Scottish Water’s Scientific Services. “It also frees up valuable staff time by reducing manual handling, uses less water than traditional treatment routes, and helps cut carbon by reducing reliance on autoclaving and the number of plastic recycling skip uplifts needed. The system gives us clearer data on what we are processing and where those materials go next, helping strengthen reporting, improve traceability, and make more informed decisions over time.”

GENERATIONS uses simultaneous chemical disinfection and shredding to treat laboratory plastic waste on site, including non-hazardous sample bottles and microbiological plastic waste such as Petri dishes and pipette tips.

The process produces material suitable for recycling, helping Scottish Water bring previously non-recyclable contaminated plastics into a recycling pathway while reducing reliance on autoclaving, landfill, and incineration for selected waste streams.

“Scottish Water is demonstrating how essential laboratory plastics can be managed differently after use,” said Malcolm Bell, CEO of Envetec. “These materials are often necessary for safety, accuracy, and compliance, yet their end-of-life can be transformed. GENERATIONS is helping laboratories treat selected waste streams on site, capture useful operational data, and support meaningful material recovery.”

Alongside the treatment of laboratory plastic waste, the technology captures data on waste volumes, material types, laboratory sources, downstream pathways, polymer types, and indicative emissions savings.

Scottish Water is using this information to strengthen reporting and traceability, and to evaluate opportunities to expand the approach to additional laboratory waste streams.

About Scottish Water

Scottish Water is the publicly-owned utility responsible for providing water and wastewater services to millions of homes and businesses across Scotland.
The organisation operates essential national infrastructure and works to protect public health, support communities, and safeguard Scotland’s water environment.

About Envetec Sustainable Technologies

Envetec Sustainable Technologies is a cleantech company pioneering safe, non-thermal treatment of regulated medical and biological waste for healthcare and life sciences organizations. Its patented GENERATIONS® process enables facilities to disinfect and shred waste, producing treated material suitable for resource recovery. By providing an alternative to traditional thermal treatment methods, including autoclaving and incineration, Envetec helps organizations reduce emissions, support resource recovery and comply with evolving waste regulations.

Media Contacts

Scottish Water
Jenny Ross
Jenny.ross@scottishwater.co.uk
07884111099

Envetec Sustainable Technologies
Sunny Uberoi
Corporate Communications
sunny.uberoi@envetec.com
001 917 747 2018

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