Importance of proper labeling

Waste that is picked up from a lab is not sent to the final waste disposal facility in
the original container. For example, a 4L bottle of waste lead solution is bulked into
a 205L drum with lead solution from other labs. This is either done on-site at our
campus transfer station or, in the case of larger volumes, at a waste brokers
transfer station. Little on site testing is done before bulking. We depend on the
labels you place on the containers. If a container is mis-labelled or incompletely
labelled, that is, all the contents are not listed, we may inadvertently place the
waste in the wrong bulking drum. With the many hazardous combinations of
chemical incompatibility possible, this could have serious implications. The result
could be the release of noxious fumes, formation of more hazardous compounds,
fire or even explosion. It is also important when shipping hazardous waste to the
disposal companies that the exact contents of the containers are known.
Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) regulations require that the transport of
hazardous materials include detailed shipping documents. Also, although we do not
test the container's contents, the waste disposal companies do extensive testing of
all waste to determine the proper waste disposal method. Surprises in the
containers will result in a surcharge levied onto the cost of disposal. Besides the
unnecessary cost expenditure, this can also result in an embarrassing situation
when it appears that we are hiding "more hazardous" waste in with other materials.
Chemical Waste Categories
Organic waste - Phenol Examples: any waste generated which contains phenol or
phenol mixtures, including phenol-acid mixtures and phenol-chloroform mixtures.
Organic waste - Halogenated Examples: any halogenated organic waste or any
mixtures containing halogenated organic waste, except those containing phenol.
Including chlorinated oils such as cutting oil. Examples: chloroform, 1, 1, 1trichloroethane, methylene chloride
Organic waste - Corrosive Examples: non-halogenated solvent-acid mixtures, nonhalogenated organic acids such as acetic acid, trichloroacetate, acetic anhydride.
Organic waste - Non-halogenated plus water Examples: non-halogenated solventwater mixtures or non-halogenated solvents with greater than 20% water such as
80% ethanol.
Organic waste - Non-halogenated Examples: acetone, toluene, acetonitrile, ethyl
acetate, heptane, hexane, alcohol with less than 20% water.
Corrosive waste - Acid Examples: hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid,
chromic acid, hydrofluoric acid.

Corrosive waste - Inorganic/acid mixture Examples: iron III chloride, aluminium

trichloride, mercury compounds dissolved in acid, other inorganic compounds
dissolved in acid.
Corrosive waste - Alkali Examples: hydroxides, phosphates, ammonia.
Corrosive waste - Alkali mixture Examples: compounds dissolved in hydroxides,
phosphates, ammonia.
Waste Oil Examples: used pump oil, crankcase oil, hydraulic oil. Excluding
halogenated oils such as cutting oils.
Reactive waste Examples: air and water sensitive materials such as Grignard
reagent, alkaline metals, reactive halides.
Waste oxidizers Examples: all nitrates, potassium dichromate, metal peroxides such
as chromium dioxide.
Inorganic waste Examples: heavy metal compounds and solutions such as those of
mercury, lead, copper and zinc (except those dissolved in acid), other inorganic
compounds not covered by another category.
Hazardous waste - Other Examples: waste not covered by any other category. All
waste in this category must be segregated. No mixtures. Does not include
radioactive waste, biohazardous waste, highly hazardous waste, explosive waste or
surplus chemicals.

Improperly choosing a waste container can increase the risk of the waste container degrading, leaking, or building
up unnecessary pressure, leading to a potential lab injury.

Do's and Don'ts of Waste Container Choices

Chemical waste containers should be leak-proof.

Never use empty household or food-grade containers (e.g.plastic milk jugs or juice containers).

Never use open beakers to collect waste.

Waste containers should be free of contamination.

Waste containers must have a screw-top cap that fits. No snap-on caps or glass stoppers.

Caps must be securely closed when not in use.

Never store waste chemicals that are corrosive in a metal container. Never use a metal can as a secondary
containment bin for corrosive chemicals.

Re-use of stock chemical containers to collect waste

If you re-use a stock chemical container to collect waste, be sure that 1) the container has been triple rinsed, 2)
chemicals being added are compatible with chemicals that the container originally, and 3) place a yellow laboratory
waste accumulation container label on the container once a drop of waste is added.
Clearly label any reused containers as "EMPTY" until you start using them.

Never rinse and re-use an acutely toxic or reactive chemical container as a waste container.

Any empty chemical container that held acutely toxic or reactive material, such as sodium azide, osmium tetroxide or
cyanides, is required to be tagged for waste disposal (see list of acutely hazardous chemicals).

Double labeling causes confusion!

Never place an orange or green label AND a lab waste accumulation label on a container. Use one or the other.
Consult with Safety staff if you need assistance with chemical or waste labeling.

Label Waste Containers Properly

Segregate and Store Waste Properly

Key Requirements:

Waste containers must be securely closed when not in use.

All liquid laboratory wastes must be stored in secondary containment in case the primary container fails.

Never leave a funnel in a waste container unless the funnel itself is designed to be a secure lid.

Avoid or minimize the storage of waste materials inside a chemical fume hood to preserve space for working
safely and to allow for proper airflow within the fume hood.

Flammable waste should be stored within a flammable safety cabinet and must count towards thefire code
storage limits for the lab.

Do not store waste containers on the floor. In some cases, larger, non-glass containers of waste may be
stored on the floor inside of a secondary containment bin. Never block aisles and/or egress and do not create a
tripping hazard.

Chemical waste storage cabinets

Store chemical waste by hazard with other compatible chemicals in a properly labeled chemical storage cabinet.
Never store waste in a chemical fume hood unless odors are being emitted (e.g. phenol, chloroform).
Cabinets used for multiple waste containers that are labeled "Chemical Waste Storage" must have smaller secondary
containment bins inside to separate incompatible chemicals. Please see the Chemical Storage Guide.

Prevent leaks
Leave 2 inches of empty space at the top of waste containers - never overfill.

Waste containers must be inspected at least monthly, per the self inspection checklist, to assure that no degradation
of the container or its contents has occurred.
A leaking container must be either packed in a secondary container, or its contents transferred to another container.

Chemically-contaminated sharps
Sharps contaminated with hazardous chemicals must be collected in a puncture proof container such as a sharps box
and labeled clearly with a yellow waste accumulation container label.

Containers of acutely toxic or reactive chemicals

Containers of acutely toxic or reactive chemicals must be securely closed and tagged for hazardous waste disposal.
Never re-use these containers to collect waste.

Contaminated debris: broken glassware, gloves, pipettes, etc.

Debris that is contaminated with hazardous chemicals should be collected in a clear bag or in a cardboard box lined
with a clear plastic bag and tagged as chemical waste for disposal. Never use a red biohazard bag to collect
chemically contaminated glassware or debris.
Glassware contaminated with infectious material should be placed in a puncture-proof container and then placed in a
biohazard box. For information about biological waste please follow this link to the biowaste management page.
Glassware contaminated with radioactive contaminants should be decontaminated andRadiation Safety staff should
be notified. For information pertaining to radioactive waste management follow this link to the Radiation Safety
Office (RSO) website.

Mixed waste
Waste that is contaminated with both biological material and chemicals should be tagged as a laboratory waste.
Provide specific information on the tag or in the comments box on the online tag entry page.

Organic Chemistry
Waste Disposal
Please read these related areas on this site: Hazardous
Chemicals and Chemical Information.

Hazardous waste must be collected and processed according to guidelines

set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All University
departments and teaching units, including the organic chemistry teaching
laboratories, must comply with these regulations. The university's
Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) works with the
campus departments to train hazardous waste generators so that compliance
is met. EH&S also collects properly tagged hazardous waste and ships it to
appropriate disposal sites. There is a Generator's Guide to Waste
Processing available online. Two major tenets of the EH&S guidelines are:

Reduction of the volume hazardous waste produced

Proper storage of hazardous waste

Any chemical that you no longer use is considered a hazardous waste. Each
and every student in the organic chemistry teaching labs generates
hazardous waste and is considered a "hazardous waste generator". Since
you are the one producing the chemical waste, it is up to you to dispose of
the waste properly. We have made this as easy as possible for you, by
checking compatibilities and pre-calculating percent compositions of all the
waste solutions you are likely to produce. All you have to do is follow
directions.
What Goes Where

All hazardous chemical wastes are collected in the main hood of each lab
room, an area that is a designated Satellite Accumulation Area (SAA). Place
the waste as directed in the procedure section of each experiment in the Lab
Manual. Waste receptacles include:

Aqueous Waste bottle - the 4L plastic bottle located in the main hood, labeled
with a bright green hazardous waste tag.

Organic Waste bottle - the 4L plastic carboy located in the main hood, labeled
with a red hazardous waste tag.

Recovery Jar - a bottle or jar kept in the main hood for the collection of the
reaction product.

Solid Waste bins - these are small white bins placed around the lab, both on
the raised middle part of the benches and in the main hood.

Broken glass bucket - a white bucket kept near the TA's desk.

Waste rules

Always put the waste in the waste receptacle as directed at the end of each
procedure section of each experiment in the Lab Manual.

When using acetone or water to rinse chemicals from glassware, use as little
as possible; keep in mind that as soon as these rinses are placed in the
hazardous waste container, they themselves become hazardous waste, thus
burdening the hazardous waste collection system. Acetone rinses go in the
organic waste and water rinses go in the aqueous.

Follow to the letter any directions that ask you to place a solvent in a special
solvent recycling bottle; often we are able to collect and redistill these
solvents rather than processing them as waste. Do not place rinse water or
rinse acetone in these containers. Read labels carefully on recycled solvent
receptacles.

Place the products that you synthesized in the recovery jars in the main
hood. Do not place filter or weigh papers in the recovery jars, instead, scrape
the chemical off the paper and place the paper in the "Solid Chemical Waste"
bucket in the main hood.

If you have a waste chemical whose disposal is not specified in the manual,
ask your TA or the Lab Director what you should do with it.

Filter papers, drying agents, boiling chips, broken or clogged Pasteur pipets
and TLC spotters, TLC plates, and melting point capillaries should all be
placed in the small white buckets labeled "Solid Chemical Waste".

Broken glass should be placed in the Broken Glass bucket near the TA's desk,
as long as it is not contaminated with chemicals.

Never put chemicals down the drain.

Secondary Containment

Each container of liquid waste must be placed in "secondary containment",

which is a plastic tray/container that could hold the contents of the waste
container if it breaks. Never take a waste container out of its secondary
containment. Secondary containment is not only required for hazardous
waste. (Dispensing bottles are also put in secondary containment, and you
should return them to this secondary containment when you are done with
the bottle.)

How the Wastes Are Tallied

The contents of the waste receptacles must be known and written down at
all times. This documentation must be in English and not as chemical
formulas. When a waste bottle is full, the contents must be emptied into a
larger waste drum, and the chemicals listed accurately on the hazardous
waste disposal form. The composition of the waste is calculated assuming
the students follow the directions given in the Wastes sections of each
experiment.
Each week, a different experiment is carried out in the lab. Under each main
hood is a tally sheet on a clipboard. This sheet lists in English the
percentages of the components of the waste mixtures which the students
produce in each experiment. There is a separate list for "Organic" and for
"Aqueous" waste. At the end of each experiment, the waste is transferred to

a larger waste drum, and the chemicals disposed of are written on an official
Hazardous Waste disposal slip. When the waste drum is full, the slip and the
waste drum are submitted to EH&S for proper disposal and handling.
The system only works if each student places the waste in the container as
directed in the Lab Manual. This cannot be overstated.
Institution-Specific Information

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the basic guidelines which
govern the protection of our environment, including the disposal of
hazardous wastes. State, county, and municipality agencies also regulate the
handling of hazardous chemical wastes in the geographical areas under their
jurisdiction. Most universities establish Environmental Safety or
Environmental Health and Safety departments. The personnel in these
departments work with local and federal agencies to establish a safety policy
individual to their institution. Thus, the best source for hazardous waste
handling disposal information is at the university which you attend. The links
below take you both to government agencies and sample University safety
pages.

DOS AND DONTS FOR CHEMICAL WASTE DISPOSAL

DOs
DO determine if your waste is hazardous: Is it an Ignitable, Corrosive, Reactive, Toxic
or a Listed waste?
DO select a chemical waste accumulation area that is out of the way of normal
activities easily identifiable and safely accessible.
DO label each waste container with Hazardous Waste and the specific names of
the waste constituents.
DO store waste in compatible containers with an unbroken screw-top lid.
DO keep containers of waste closed except when waste is being added to them.
DO segregate halogenated and non-halogenated solvents.
DO store all chemical waste within secondary containment can be a lab tray or a
dishpan. It just needs to hold the contents of the largest container in case of
breakage or accident. Provide secondary containment for incompatible materials.

 DO keep container exteriors free from contamination. Wipe down container if

necessary.
DONT
DO NOT pour chemicals or solvents down the drain.
DO NOT evaporate chemical wastes in a fume hood.
DO NOT abandon chemicals in the laboratory.
DO NOT mix various waste chemicals indiscriminately.
DO NOT throw chemicals into trash containers until you determine if waste is nonhazardous.
DO NOT accumulate chemical wastes for any extended period of time. A chemical
waste disposal form should be completed when a container is 95% full. A container
not yet full should not be held for more than 9 months.