Chemical Waste Disposal Questions
From ESF FAQ Wiki
Where do I get the multi-part white "Laboratory Waste Tag" and the yellow "Laboratory Waste Accumulation" stickers from?
These are both available at:
- Given Mailroom (in a box across from the mailboxes)
- HSRF 221 (dark room on shelf)
- Stafford Mailroom
- Rubenstein Laboratory (mail desk)
- Colchester Research Facility maintenance office
- Cook (Room 243, Chem Stockroom)
- Marsh Life Science (Biology Stockroom)
All labels and stickers are available through Environmental Safety as well. To get some, e-mail us at mailto:esf@uvm.edu and tell us how many you need.
When does my waste get picked up?
Generally waste is picked up from main campus locations on Fridays. Other locations, such as the Colchester Research Facility or the Rubenstein Ecosystem Laboratory, pick-ups occur monthly.
According to EPA regulation, it must be removed from your laboratory within 30 days of the date on the white waste tag. If you find waste that has been in your laboratory longer than that or which is in your way, please let us know by sending us the top copy of the multi-part white "Laboratory Waste" tag or entering the information from the tag on line at http://esf.uvm.edu/tags_entry/
How do I dispose of broken glassware?
Broken laboratory glassware that is empty and not contaminated with hazardous materials should be placed in a sealed cardboard box for disposal. If necessary, you can order the large cardboard containers for broken glass from a laboratory supply vendor. When the box is full, close all sides and tape the lid securely closed with wide clear or duct tape (NOT ‘Scotch’-type tape from a desk dispenser), then label the box as Trash. Custodians will dispose of the boxes as trash if they are adequately closed, labeled as trash, and not excessively heavy. If your glass box is very heavy please take it and place it inside a trash dumpster yourself.
If broken glassware is grossly contaminated with a hazardous material (so much that it is dripping), place it in a sealed and leak proof container that will not be punctured or torn by the glass. Label the container with the appropriate hazard warning(s) and a laboratory waste tag. Notify Environmental Safety (ES) for pick-up by entering the tag information online at <http://esf.uvm.edu/tags_entry/>.
For example, use a cardboard box within a tightly sealed plastic bag with the label, phenol contaminated debris/broken glass, on the multi-part white Laboratory Wastetag. Enter tag information online, as described above.
If the broken glassware is contaminated with biologically hazardous material, place the sealed cardboard box in a red bio-waste bag and dispose of through the UVM biowaste disposal system (http://esf.uvm.edu/faq/index.php/Biowaste_Questions#Where_can_I_find_out_how_to_dispose_of_biowaste_at_UVM.3F)
How do I dispose of empty chemical containers?
HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
1) Empty containers that held solid or liquid chemicals that are air or water reactives, stench chemicals, or highly hazardous materials such as carcinogens, teratogens, mutagens, or acutely toxic materials be securely closed and tagged for pickup through the hazardous waste disposal system. See the UVM HCOC (Hazardous Chemicals of Concern) list attached to the Chemical Use Planning form to identify these chemicals at http://esf.uvm.edu/uvmemp/01chemuse.pdf.
2) Empty containers that held solid or liquid chemicals such as corrosives, flammables or other toxics not referenced above must be handled according to these guidelines:
- They MUST be thoroughly rinsed with water and the label MUST be defaced.
- The rinse water can go down the drain. If rinsed with a solvent the solvent must be collected as hazardous waste.
- Do not place empty containers in the fume hood to evaporate.
DISPOSAL of the rinsed containers:
- Empty glass and plastic containers that held hazardous chemicals are not recyclable. They can be reused as laboratory waste containers or go in the trash. Make sure they are thoroughly rinsed, labels defaced, and clearly labeled as ‘Trash’. Custodians will dispose of them for you.
- Metal cans should be placed in recycling bins. Make sure they are thoroughly rinsed, labels defaced, and if clearly labeled ‘For Recycling’ custodians will manage them for you.
- If labels are not defaced with an obliterating sticker or a heavy magic marker then storage guidelines for the named chemical apply.
NON-HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
There is no need to rinse the container. Follow disposal guidelines in #2 above.
Where should I store chemical waste?
Chemical waste is best stored with compatible stock chemicals: Flammables in the Flammables cabinet, Corrosives in the Corrosives cabinet with like corrosives, Reactives with reactives, etc.
Chemical waste must be labeled with the yellow Laboratory Waste Accumulation sticker while the container is being filled. Once full, fill-out a multi-part white Laboratory Waste tag, attach it to the container, and enter the information online at http://esf.uvm.edu/tags_entry/. For liquid waste, the container must be placed in secondary containment.
Do not store waste on the floor, except for 5 gallon containers of solid or liquid toxics. The 5 gallon containers of liquids must be in secondary containment. Do not place the 5 gallon containers in aisle spaces. Make sure they are labeled fully and clearly with the yellow Laboratory Waste Accumulation sticker to assist Environmental Safety Technicians during pick up and to protect custodians during trash removal.
If you have a designated "Chemical Waste Storage" cabinet, be sure to separate your chemicals according to chemical compatibility so that flammables are separate from corrosives and organics are separate from inorganics and oxidizers/reactives. Do not store organics and oxidizers in the same cabinet or flammables and corrosives in the same cabinet. A flammable corrosive chemical should go in its own secondary container in the flammables cabinet. All liquid wastes must have secondary containment in case of leaks or spills.
Can I store my chemical waste in the fume hood?
No. Please store chemical waste with compatible stock chemicals and keep your hood space available for work. Every additional item in your fume hood has a negative effect on the hood’s ability to effectively capture and exhaust chemical fumes.
Is it okay to use a ‘Ziploc’ plastic bag for storage of chemically contaminated items?
Dry chemically contaminated debris can be collected in a closed container such as a closed zip-loc bag, if the bag is not degraded by the chemical over time. It must be labeled with the UVM yellow Laboratory Waste Accumulation sticker if you are accumulating the material over time. Ultimately, it must be tagged with our multi-part white Laboratory Waste tag for pick-up and disposal by Environmental Safety staff. If it contains no free liquid, spill clean up material may also be placed in a closed ziploc bag and tagged with the white multi-part Laboratory Waste tag.
Never use a biohazard bag to store chemical debris.
What do I do when I break a piece of mercury containing equipment?
Mercury is very difficult to clean up completely and can release vapors that can create toxic levels at room temperature. A surprisingly small amount of mercury can create a significant concentration of mercury in the room air. Therefore, do not try to clean it up yourself.
First, turn off the equipment to prevent further release of mercury vapors and have all personnel leave the room. Close the door, place a sign to avoid re-entry, and call the ESF at 656-5400. We will respond as soon as possible to complete the clean up and monitor the room air for mercury vapors.
How can I make sure my chemical waste doesn’t get picked up mistakenly as trash?
The chemical wastes most likely to be confused with trash are the 5 gallon buckets of solid, toxic waste that are allowed to be stored on the floor. Make sure these buckets are clearly labeled with the yellow Laboratory Waste Accumulation stickers and these stickers are visible at all times. Use clear bags as a liner inside this clearly labeled bucket. Don’t remove the bag and set it aside, unlabeled, for any reason and never put the lid underneath the bucket.
Can I use the Environmental Safety (ES) supplied Chemical Spill Kit on all chemical spills?
There are 2 styles of spill kits that have been supplied by the ES:
1) The older version consists of an absorbent powder, a brush for sweeping it effectively over the spilled chemical, nitrile gloves, instructions and multi-part laboratory waste tags. The spill kit is specifically designed for use by lab personnel in cleaning up small spills (1 liter or less); the absorbent powder is compatible with most chemicals, with the exceptions of hydrofluoric acid and metallic mercury.
2) After March, 2007, we were not able to obtain additional absorbent powder and so have substituted gray absorbent pads (this also eliminates the need for the brush in the kit). The pads are compatible with all chemicals including hydrofluoric acid, but do not work with metallic mercury spills. They still have a maximum capacity of about 1 liter.
Note that neither absorbent removes any hazards associated with the spilled chemicals and that the clean up materials must be treated as chemical waste.
Call Police Services at 911 for help with any spill of chemicals that have corrosive, flammable or toxic vapors or that are in quantities large enough to preclude clean up by lab workers.
Do I have to use the Environmental Safety (ES) waste labels and tags or can I create ones of my own?
You must use the label and tag supplied by ES because they include information required by government regulation. This includes the yellow Laboratory Waste Accumulation sticker if you are accumulating chemical waste over time and the multi-part white Laboratory Waste tag when you are ready to dispose of an accumulation container.
Can I mix my acids with some alkaline liquids to neutralize them and pour them down the drain?
Please do not treat any of your hazardous chemicals in order to dispose of them down the drain or in the trash. There are regulatory implications to any drain disposal of hazardous materials. Contact us at mailto:esf@uvm.edu if you have questions about proper disposal of chemical or other waste.
Are there any chemicals that I should not mix together for disposal?
Yes. Do not mix any chemicals for disposal without checking with Environmental Safety staff first. In many cases, mixing chemicals together results in a much higher disposal cost and sometimes makes it impossible to dispose of a material. Acutely hazardous chemicals and mercury should never be mixed with other chemicals.
Can I put chemical waste in red Biohaz bags?
No, please use only CLEAR bags to collect any waste or debris contaminated with chemicals. Label them with the “Laboratory Waste Accumulation” sticker while collecting waste. When full, complete and attach the multi-part white “Laboratory Waste” tag for disposal.
Can I dispose of any chemicals or buffers down the sink drain?
Sink disposal of hazardous laboratory chemicals is forbidden at UVM. The Burlington Sewer Use Ordinance prohibits discharge of solutions with a pH equal to or less than 5.0 or greater than or equal to 10.5 into the sewer system. In addition any laboratory chemical that exhibits an ignitable, toxic or reactive characteristic, is a dye, has a strong odor, or has a high viscosity is prohibited from drain disposal. This also means that solvents used to rinse clean glassware (acetone, ethanol, Nochromix, etc) must be collected as hazardous waste and disposed of through Environmental Safety.
Non-hazardous solutions such as those containing sugars and salts and no other hazardous material may be disposed of down the sink drain.
If you have specific questions about whether a chemical is suitable for sink disposal, contact Environmental Safety staff at mailto:esf@uvm.edu.
My laboratory is moving. What should I do with my waste chemicals?
Please do not tag each individual container. Set the chemicals to be disposed of aside in your laboratory and place a note on the collection that says “For Environmental Safety (ES) disposal”. Contact us at mailto:esf@uvm.edu to schedule a time for ES technicians to sort the waste chemicals into groups based on their hazard class and Department of Transportation regulations. Then you will be able to use one tag per group of chemicals and save yourself and us the time and effort of managing a large number of tags.
I had a chemical spill. What should I do?
If it is a spill you cannot manage on your own, all workers should leave the lab, place a DO NOT ENTER sign on the door and call ESF at 6-5400. Have the following information available:
1) Your name, building and room number
2) A phone number to reach you at
3) The name of the chemical spilled
4) How much spilled
5) Where the spill is
6) If anyone is hurt
Environmental Safety (ES) staff can then assess the situation and decide whether it can be safely cleaned up by laboratory personnel with a Spill Kit or if an ES technician or contractor should do the cleanup. If in doubt call the ES for advice.
I am cleaning out a freezer full of old samples. What should I do with them?
It depends if they are biological samples or chemical samples. Before you thaw the samples, call us to have an Environmental Safety technician visit to help you sort through the containers. It may take us several days to arrange to pick up waste materials.
What do I do with an unknown chemical?
Before tagging a chemical as an unknown please work to find out and record any information about the chemical from other lab personnel, notebooks or lab procedures. Tag unknown chemicals by listing the contents as "unknown" and submitting the tag information online as usual. Place the containers in a secondary container separate from other chemicals until they are picked up by the ES personnel. Pickup will be separate from your other tagged waste to allow Environmental Safety Technicians the time to conduct appropriate testing on these chemicals for proper storage with compatible chemicals while they await shipment to a hazardous waste processing facility.
I’m trying to decide which chemicals I should cull from my stocks. How do I decide when a chemical is old?
You should sort through them and dispose of the ones you haven’t used in about a year and those that are beyond their expiration date. Chemicals which do not flow freely are not likely used in the future and are best disposed of.
How do I dispose of dry waste debris?
Dry waste debris may be collected in a ziploc bag or another type of closed container and then tagged with the multi-part white “Laboratory Waste” tag for disposal.
It has taken me more than a year to fill my 5 gallon container with liquid waste. Is this appropriate?
No. According to government regulations, chemical wastes should be removed at least once a year. Your container size is too big if it takes you a year to fill; contact us at mailto:esf@uvm.edu for assistance in selecting another container.
