Purchase lecture bottles only from companies who will accept their return when empty. Reuse developers in photography labs. Recover metals for recycling or reuse by precipitation. Management Practices Good laboratory management can go a long way towards avoiding unnecessary waste generation. Order only the quantity of material which you anticipate using.
Many chemicals have a limited shelf-life.
For example, diethyl ether may begin to form peroxides within several months after opening. If you do have leftover material, dispose of it promptly through ORS instead of storing it for future use. This is especially important for peroxide-formers and reactive material. It is much safer and less expensive to dispose of a flammable liquid than it is to dispose of a flammable liquid that contains peroxides. One person should order chemicals for a research group, thereby minimizing duplicate orders.