When biotech companies upgrade equipment or change research paths, the old equipment must be retired. One alternative to sending laboratory equipment to the dump is to donate it to colleges or high schools. This option is easier when there is a central place that can handle donations and connect the equipment and supplies with programs in need. In San Francisco, the Bio-Link Equipment Depot serves this role.
Over 40 volunteers assist at the Bio-Link Equipment Depot. These volunteers organize equipment and label it so that on donation day, several hundred community college instructors and high school teachers can arrive and find supplies and resources for their labs.
Learn more about the Bio-Link Depot
This resource guide describes how to start an equipment depot in your area. It described how the depot works, discusses ways to find a site for the depot and build a network of volunteers, how to run an 'open house' and lists resources for getting a depot started in your area.