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Home > Departments > Environment, Health & Safety > EH&S Programs > Hazardous Waste > Chemical Waste

Chemical Waste

  • Keep your labs clean - Disorganized, messy spaces are “flags” that can indicate a lack of attention to important rules & regulations
  • Get rid of old and/or unused chemicals. If chemicals are not managed, they are considered abandoned and are further considered hazardous wastes. Label them with the UB Hazardous Waste Label, fill out the labels, and fax a disposal request to EH&S. Store wastes properly prior to disposal.
  • Organize the chemicals you have; segregate by hazard class, make sure labels are intact and containers are neat.
  • Make sure you have the latest version of the EH&S "Hazardous Chemical Waste Management Guidebook" . Available online here or call us at 829-2401 to get a copy.
  • Distribute in your lab EH&S Posters "Laboratory Hazardous Waste Guidance" and "Do Haz Waste Right" (both pdf files), which outline good practices for handling hazardous chemical waste.

The following forms, training and guidance below can assist you with managing your hazardous chemical waste:

Guidance

Alcohols Disposal Guidance - Aqueous mixtures with alcohols such as ethanol (greater than 24%), methanol, isopropyl, etc. must be collected and treated as hazardous waste. Ethanol concentrations of 24% or less are acceptable for drain disposal.

Top Most Prevalent Laboratory Hazardous Waste Problems Identified in EPA Audits - Review the items in this list to see if any of the conditions listed exist in your lab.

Ethidium Bromide Disposal Guidance - This guide lists the disposal options for Ethidium Bromide.

Drain Disposal Guidance - As a general rule, chemicals should not be disposed of down the drain. This guide shows what is acceptable for drain disposal and what must be collected as hazardous waste.

Chemical Compatibility Guidance - Chemical hazardous wastes must be segregated from incompatible chemical wastes. This page contains useful links to help you determine the compatibility of your chemicals.

How to Dispose of Unknown Chemical Wastes - If you have "unknowns" in the lab, here's the proper way to arrange for disposal.

Waste Minimization Guide (pdf) - This electronic booklet entitled "Less is Better - Guide to Minimizing Waste in Laboratories" from the American Chemical Society, is a good reference for minimizing chemical waste in the laboratory.

Tips for Talking to Regulators - How to conduct yourself during an inspection.

Forms & Training

Laboratory Chemical Waste Training Schedule - EH&S offers laboratory chemical waste training. Click on the training button at the top portion of this page for the latest schedule, or call us at 829-2401 to request a training session.

Satellite Accumulation Area/Hazardous Waste Weekly Inspection Sheet - All satellite accumulation areas should be inspected weekly. Two sample forms (pdf files) are available for your use: a full page form or a smaller half page version.

Tips on Storing and Labeling Your Hazardous Waste - this diagram (pdf) shows the proper way to label and store your chemical hazardous waste.

Hazardous Waste Management - This poster (pdf) lists emergency procedures, important definitions and instructions to follow on managing hazardous chemical waste.

Request for Hazardous Waste Disposal form - Once a container of chemical hazardous waste is full, you should arrange for it's disposal immediately. Use this form (pdf) to have your waste picked up by our technicians.

Request more EH&S Hazardous Waste Labels - there are specific requirements on the labeling of chemical hazardous waste (see the "Tips" poster above).

Labels can be requested by placing a note on the Request for Hazardous Waste Disposal form, stopping by the South Campus Biochemistry Stockroom located at 10B Farber Hall or calling EH&S at 829-2401.