Chemical Waste Disposal

Proper chemical waste management is critical in avoiding serious personal health hazards and property damage, minimizing environmental contamination and adhering to regulatory requirements. To protect the health and safety of laboratory workers, Environmental Safety (ES) technicians and other building occupants, please follow all ES requirements regarding chemical labeling, disposal, storage and handling.

Chemical Waste Labeling

Properly completing hazardous waste labels, as well as, safe handling and storage of waste is extremely important. Please manage your chemical waste to protect yourself and others, especially the ES technicians who collect it for disposal. Improperly labeled and/or unidentified chemicals can ultimately end up as “unknown” chemical waste. Determining the contents of an “unknown” chemical is an involved and costly process and also presents unique concerns and hazards for laboratory workers, chemical waste handlers and to the environment. Please take care to avoid creating “unknown” chemicals in your laboratory.

ES offers a 2-step labeling system that needs to be used in combination during accumulation and for disposal. Please complete all chemical waste labels in full detail.

Chemical Waste Accumulation:

Laboratory Waste Accumulation Sticker - Date and affix this yellow label to the container as soon as you begin accumulating waste.  Chemical content and applicable hazard classes must also be complete in full.

 

Chemical Waste Disposal:

Laboratory Waste Tag - Important - Complete all sections and attach this 4 part tag to the waste container when it is full or ready for pick-up. Be sure to include all chemical names with percentages.

These tags are uniquely numbered to allow us to track the waste as it moves through the UVM system, as required by EPA regulation. Please leave all copies of the tag intact and enter the information from the tag into our online waste tag entry for prompt ESF pick up. Then attach the tags to the waste and place the containers into storage with compatible chemicals.

Online Waste Tag - To expedite the removal of waste containers ready for disposal, complete the Laboratory Waste Tag as detailed above, leave all 4 pages in tact and attach it to the container. Then complete the Online Waste Tag.

Waste Container Selection and Integrity

In addition to Chemical Waste Labeling, container selection for waste collection is another key factor in proper waste disposal and management. To avoid potential personal exposures, reactivity issues and spills, please ensure that your waste containers meet the following criteria:

• The containers themselves must be leak proof and made of a material that is compatible with the chemicals that are being collected.
• Waste container caps must be designed to properly fit the container and have threaded screw tops. If you do not have the proper cap for the container, do not use it to collect waste.  A cap from a different container type is not appropriate even if it seems to fit.
• Make sure that waste container caps are secure.
• When reusing chemical containers as waste collection containers, make sure that the original chemical contents is compatible with the waste being collected.
• Unused one-gallon amber jars are available for purchase through ChemSource.
We also provide 5 gallon containers through ChemSource - once you have bought the first one, we will provide replacement 5 gallon containers when we pick up the full one.

 

Sink Disposal of Chemicals

Our latest Louie poster reminds laboratory workers to think carefully about what materials go down the laboratory sink drain. Additional information about what chemicals are appropriate for drain disposal is available at Sink Disposal of Non-Hazardous Chemicals.

 

Additional Information

Waste Disposal FAQ's

Environmental Management Plan Overview

Laboratory Management of Waste Containers

Information about UVM's participation in the Project XL

Additional questions can be submitted to: esf@uvm.edu

Last Updated: September 9, 2008