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Regulated Waste Procedures

Regulated Waste Procedures

Chemical Waste

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  1. The following federal regulations apply to hazardous waste generated in laboratories. Any violation of these regulations may result in significant fines and loss of federal grants.

    1. No more than 55 gallons of waste may be stored in the laboratories. For acutely hazardous waste this limit is reduced to one quart. Contact Environmental Management if you have questions about whether your waste is acutely hazardous or not.

    2. Full containers must be marked with the date on which it was filled and they must be removed from the laboratory within three days (not three business days).

    3. The laboratory must be "under the control of the operator". This simply means that when nobody is in the lab the door must be locked.

    4. Waste containers must be in good condition and compatible with the type of waste being stored in them. Leaking containers are not acceptable.

    5. Containers must be closed at all times except when adding or removing waste. "Closed" means that no waste can evaporate out of the container and that no waste would spill if the container were to tip over.

    6. The container must be labeled with a description of its contents. This description must be in English and must include the chemical name. Chemical structures and/or formulas are not appropriate substitutes for their names. All components of the waste must be listed.

    7. Incompatible wastes must be kept segregated.

    8. Training is required for anybody generating hazardous waste. If you have not been trained on hazardous waste regulations, contact Environmental Management immediately. We will be happy to provide training during a laboratory staff meeting or at any time that is convenient for you.


  2. The following are additional rules for our convenience in disposing of your waste.

    1. Contact Environmental Management when the container is about to become full. Leave at least an inch of headspace in the container. Do not over-fill containers.

    2. Do not put solid waste into liquid waste containers. For example, paper towels should be stored in a plastic bag or in a solid waste container; they should not be placed into a container for liquids.

    3. Spill cleanups should be managed as hazardous waste. Place all of the contaminated items (paper towels, gloves, etc.) into a zip-lock bag. Label the bag with the material that was cleaned up and mark it with the date.

    4. Do not use red biohazard bags for chemical waste. They are to be used for biohazardous material only. If you are not sure whether your waste is biohazardous contact Environmental Management.

    5. Do not generate a mixed waste. See section on mixed wastes below.


Radioactive Waste

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All radioactive waste must be segregated by isotope. Containers must be labeled with the isotope, the amount in microcuries, the lab number, and the date. Do not generate any mixed waste. See section on mixed waste below.

Liquids
  1. Most liquid radioactive waste may be flushed down the drain. Laboratories are allowed to flush amounts up to 100 microcuries / day.

  2. Radioactive Iodine, however, may not be flushed. Environmental Management will dispose of this type of waste.

  3. Only non-hazardous, biodegradable scintillation fluid may be used. Scintillation fluids may be flushed down the drain or given to Environmental Management for disposal. If given to Environmental Management, vials must be stored upright in flats or in a plastic bucket.

Solids
  1. Make sure there are no liquids (not even droplets at the bottom of a vial). This is extremely important. The radioactive waste disposal facility will assess a fee and return any waste that has liquids.

  2. Remove or deface all radioactive labels. Short half-life material will be decayed then disposed of as regular trash. The landfill employees really do not like to see radioactive labels!

  3. Collect waste in clear plastic bags. The bags must be closed and labeled before we will pick them up. If this waste is not sealed in a plastic bag, the Chemicals Mangement Department will not pick it up.

  4. If your lab generates radioactive sharps (needles, blades, or glass) keep them segregated from non-radioactive sharps. Do not use a red biohazard sharps container.

  5. Do not use red biohazard bags for radioactive waste.


Biohazardous Waste

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Liquids

Environmental Management will not dispose of liquid biohazardous waste. This waste may be autoclaved or disinfected with bleach and flushed down the drain. It is also recommended to disinfect the sink with additional bleach after disposing of biohazardous waste. Do not generate any mixed waste. See section on mixed waste below.

Preserving solutions may not be flushed down the drain. The specimens must be removed from the solution and the solution may then go to Environmental Management for hazardous waste disposal. See section on chemical waste.

Solids
  1. Biohazardous waste must be packaged in either a red biohazard bag or a bag which is labeled as biohazardous and displays the international biohazard symbol.

  2. In order to minimize our exposure to biohazards, we ask that bags of solid waste be closed and tied off before we pick them up.

  3. Keep all sharp materials separate. We will not accept biohazard bags that contain glass, needles, or blades.

  4. There may not be any liquids in the solid waste.

  5. Low-risk biohazard agents may be autoclaved and disposed of as regular trash. Before discarding make sure that the red biohazard bag is not visible. Place the waste in either an opaque plastic bag or in a cardboard box before discarding to the dumpster. The landfill employees really do not like to see red biohazard bags!

  6. If you do not have access to an autoclave, Environmental Management will accept your low-risk biohazard waste for disposal.

  7. High-risk biohazard agents must be both autoclaved and received by Environmental Management.
  8. Animal remains or specimens that are not preserved must be frozen. Environmenal Management will only pick up frozen waste the morning before our shipment. Currently, we ship every other Monday.

  9. "Sharps" include all needles and blades and must always be managed as biohazardous, even if they were only used with chemicals. They must be placed in an appropriate sharps container. Do not over-fill the container; it must be closed before we will pick it up. Broken glass may be managed as "sharps", but technically it does not have to be. See the section on glass below.

  10. Do not generate any mixed waste. See section on mixed waste below.


Mixed Waste

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For our purposes, mixed waste is considered any waste that is:
  1. Hazardous and Radioactive
  2. Hazardous and Biohazardous
  3. Radioactive and Biohazardous
Disposal of these wastes is extremely difficult and costly. This type of waste must be approved with Environmental Management before any waste is generated. Laboratories generating mixed wastes will be responsible to pay for their disposal.


Glass

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Some empty bottles, such as those that contained acutely hazardous materials must be managed as hazardous waste. However, most glass waste may be disposed of as regular trash. Rinse glassware in the sink and then place the glass in a box or bucket. Do not ever put glass (especially broken glass) into the regular waste containers. This has caused accidents where custodians have cut themselves while removing waste. Attach a label to the box or bucket which informs the custodians to place the container directly into the dumpster. You may use this label.


Paper and Plastic

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Most paper and plastic waste generated in the laboratory may be disposed of in the regular waste containers. In some cases, such as spill cleanups or contamination with very hazardous materials, it may become necessary to dispose of paper and plastic as hazardous waste. In such cases, do not place these materials into containers of liquid hazardous waste. They may be collected in containers designated for solids debris only.


Other Wastes

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Environmental Management also collects and recycles the following miscellaneous wastes:
  1. Batteries
  2. Oil-bearing devices (such as transformers)
  3. Circuit boards
  4. Aerosol cans (empty or full)
Please detach these items from equipment that is to be discarded and contact us for their disposal.

There are other regulated wastes generated on campus that are typically managed by other entities (physical facilities, custodians, etc.) These wastes include computers and monitors, fluorescent lights, electronic ballasts, and others. Be aware that if your lab does generate any of these items for waste, they may not be discarded in the trash.

Please feel free to contact Environmental Management with questions about any other type of laboratory waste that is not discussed here.
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