Laboratory/Chemical Waste Guidelines

The following are some basic guidelines for the general management of chemical laboratory wastes:

Waste Container Labeling

  • All waste containers must be labeled with the following information:
    • Each Chemical Name
    • Each Chemical Quantity (approximate percent, volume or mass)
    • Building and Room Number
    • Department and Faculty Responsible
    • Waste Accumulation Start Date
  • Printable Container Labels are accessible below:
  • All empty containers must be placed onto the Empty Container Cart, Bin, or Designated Location in the lab.      
    • EMPTY MEANS- less than 1 inch of residual material.

    • If an Empty Container is going to be reused for waste collection the following procedure must be followed:

      • Deface or remove original label & barcode. Provide barcode sticker, or note barcode number & send to Chemical Management Center (cmc@ysu.edu).

      • Apply Waste Label from above link

      • Move container to Satellite Accumulation Area

      • Do not fill bottles to the top- Leave two inches of head space in liquid containers.

Satellite Accumulation Areas

Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAA) for hazardous waste are established in most chemical laboratories throughout campus.

  • Must be near the point of generation of hazardous waste.
  • All containers must be closed when not in use.
  • Must be secured to prevent unauthorized access & under control of the lab supervisor (faculty PI or Lab Coordinator).
  • The SAA must have signage indicating “Hazardous Waste Accumulation Area”.
  • Must have secondary spill/leak containment and there must be an emergency chemical spill kit present in the lab.
  • Must be set up in cooperation with EHS or Chemical Management personnel. Any newly-designated SAA locations must be communicated to EHS for final approval and compliance.
  • Must be inspected monthly for issues, i.e., leaking containers, missing labels, etc.

Chemical Liquid Waste

  • DO NOT mix acids and bases. DO NOT attempt to neutralize STRONG acids.
    • Corrosive acidic or basic waste solutions with pH >2 & <12, where corrosivity was the ONLY hazardous characteristic may be disposed of in the drain.
  • ORGANIC solvent wastes (NON-Aqueous /< 25% water) are segregated into two separate containers: Halogenated (i.e. chloroform), and NON-halogenated (i.e., hexanes).
    • Solvent waste streams must contain less than 25% water.
  • Do not mix inorganic waste with organic waste
  • Do not mix heavy-metal waste with organic waste
  • Organic AQUEOUS waste contains more than 25% water
    • Separate & properly label corrosive aqueous waste solutions; do not mix acids with bases.
  • INORGANIC waste must be kept in separate containers with proper labels
  • Inorganic Corrosive-only ACIDIC solutions waste must be kept in separate containers with proper labels
  • Corrosive-only BASIC /CAUSTIC waste solutions must be kept in separate containers with proper labels
  • HEAVY-METALS waste must be kept in separate containers with proper labels
  • MERCURY waste must be kept in separate containers with proper labels (must not be combined with other heavy metals waste)

Chemically-Contaminated Solid Waste (Lab Debris): e.g., saturated gloves, paper products, plastic vials, intact/unbroken glassware

  • Must be placed in a 5-gal solid waste pail with liner bag & labeled with estimated contaminants & quantities listed.
  • Container lid must remain closed when not in use.

Sharps

  • Chemically-contaminated sharps & broken glassware must be placed into a GREEN, poly "chemical sharps container", with the lid remaining closed when not in use.
  • All other non-contaminated broken glassware may be disposed of in the laboratory broken glass disposal boxes.