Hazardous Waste

If you have hazardous waste that needs to be disposed of, please submit a Waste Pick-Up Request.

• Labeling Hazardous Waste
  • Hazardous waste containers must be labeled when waste starts accumulating (i.e. as soon as the first drop of waste is put in the container), not when the container becomes full.
  • Label all chemical waste containers with the following information:
    • Accumulation start date.
    • Name, extension, and room number of lab supervisor/PI.
    • List all constituents, including water.
    • Do not use abbreviations or chemical formulas.
    • Estimate the concentration of each constituent.
    • Mark as solid or liquid.
    • Check appropriate physical/health hazards.
    • SDS can help you identify all hazardous properties.
  • Do not combine incompatible waste. 
  • Do not use incompatible containers for waste.
    • Example: Accumulating a mineral acid in a hydrogen peroxide container.
• How long can I accumulate hazardous waste?
  • The university has 180 days to have hazardous waste off our property. Please submit a hazardous waste pick up when nearing 180 days.
• Segregation of Hazardous Waste

  All hazardous materials should be stored and transported to prevent spills and uncontrolled reactions. Segregate chemicals by hazard class. Common examples of proper segregation are:

  • Segregate acids from bases.
  • Segregate oxidizers from organic solvents.
  • Segregate cyanides from acids.
  • Segregate flammable liquids from acids, bases, oxidizers.
  • Segregate flammable solids from acids and oxidizers.
  • Segregate corrosives acids from flammable liquids, flammable solids, bases, oxidizers.
  • Segregate corrosive bases from oxidizers and acids.
  • Segregate water reactive from aqueous solutions and oxidizers.
• How to dispose of empty hazardous containers?

  Liquid hazardous material containers:

  • No liquid can drain from container when tilted in any direction.
  • Collect any liquid in separate container for proper hazardous waste management.
  • Invert container on a gray spill pad to collect any residual liquid. Dispose of the gray spill pad as hazardous waste.
  • Deface all labels with dark pen.
  • Container can be recycled when completely dried and all labels are marked out.

  
  Solid hazardous waste container:

  • There is no solid hazardous material remaining that can feasibly be removed.
  • The walls have no encrusted material on them. (A thin layer of dried material is acceptable.)
  • Collect all solid waste in separate container for proper management.
  • Deface all labels with dark pen.
  • Container can be recycled after removing, drying out, and defacing the labels.
• Requirements for storing hazardous waste
  • Affix a completed hazardous waste label to container before adding any hazardous waste. 
  • Do not accumulate hazardous waste in the lab for more than 180 days.
  • Submit hazardous waste pick up request when approaching 180 days or the container is full.
  • Always keep containers tightly closed, except when transferring waste. If using a funnel, it must be removed and replaced with a tight-fitting lid as soon as you have finished adding the hazardous waste.
  • If the funnel can be closed tightly, it can be left on the container. 
  • Hazardous Waste containers must be chemically compatible with the waste.
  • Ex: Do not use an empty sulfuric acid container to accumulate potassium hydroxide waste. These are incompatible and may react with each other.
  • All wastes should be contained in secondary container while in storage.

Hazardous Waste Label Example