Dive Brief:
- American Laboratory Trading (ALT) started by pulling used equipment and beakers from a dumpster located behind Pfizer in Connecticut.
- Now, 15 years since its first dumpster dive, the used laboratory equipment company has become one of the biggest companies of its kind.
- Jayson Bernstein, the COO at ALT, said that back then, “there was no real used equipment market... Dumpster-diving was literally how the industry started.”
Dive Insight:
ALT no longer scores equipment by scavenging in garbage bins. The company now generally works with labs that are closing up shop in order to obtain machines and supplies. ALT also added electricians and scientists to ensure the equipment operates properly, and certifies that all supplies are de-contaminated.
