| WASTE DISPOSAL |  |
1. Introduction
2. Responsibilities
3. Packaging
and Labeling Procedures
4. Waste
Reduction
5. Definitions
6. Biohazardous Waste
7. Radioactive Waste
Hazardous chemical disposal must be in accordance with procedures established by the Safety Department which are in accordance with federal and state regulations. Your department may also have procedures that you are required to follow. Check with your supervisor or the Safety Department before disposing of any potentially hazardous chemical.
Unless approved by the Safety Department, disposal of chemicals by way of the sanitary sewer system is not permitted.
The proper disposal of chemical wastes is essential to the health and safety of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia personnel as well as to the surrounding community. Therefore, it is imperative to dispose of all chemicals in a safe, efficient and cost effective manner.
In order to maintain regulatory compliance and a responsible chemical waste disposal program, the cooperation of all University personnel is required.
a. The Safety Department
The Safety Department is responsible for coordinating the University’s Chemical Waste Management Program, and ensures that the University adheres to local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to generation, transport and disposal of chemical wastes. The Safety Department is also responsible for the instruction and communication of safe and cost effective disposal procedures to the teaching and research community.
b. Laboratory Supervisor or Faculty Advisor
The laboratory supervisor has the primary responsibility for assuring that the guidelines established in this manual are followed by all personnel, including other researchers under their tutelage. In addition, to ensure that anyone who is responsible for generating, handling, or transporting hazardous waste has had training relevant to their responsibilities and complies with the hazardous waste policies in their daily operations. Also, to attend the Safety Department's Laboratory Safety training sessions.
c. Laboratory Personnel
The success of the University’s chemical waste management program depends upon the individual worker. The most important step in sound chemical waste management is understanding your responsibility for wastes and unwanted chemicals. The individual staff member is expected to:
| 1. | Dispose of all chemical waste in accordance with guidelines and regulations set forth in this manual. | |
| 2. | Make a concerted effort to identify all unknown surplus chemicals, utilizing the technical knowledge of faculty members. | |
| 3. | Package and label surplus and waste chemicals in accordance with guidelines and regulations set forth in this manual. | |
| 4. | Seek the advice, when necessary, of the Safety Department concerning the proper handling and disposal of hazardous chemicals. | |
| 5. | Attend Laboratory Safetey training sessions. |
| a. | General Guidelines |
| 1) | If you are generating liquid wastes in volumes large enough to warrant the use of 5 gallon containers, please contact the Central Stockroom in order to obtain a polyethylene container. Use of many glass bottles for the same waste stream results in costly disposal and presents an increased risk of release of the waste via broken containers. | ||
| 2) | Prior to consolidation/mixing of liquid waste streams, it is your responsibility to ensure that all waste components are compatible. Severe reactions, including explosions, may occur if certain chemical materials are mixed improperly. | ||
| 3) | If you are collecting/generating smaller amounts of waste or wish to dispose of prepackaged chemicals which you no longer need, the material must be in suitable containers with tight fitting lids. Flasks with stoppers are not acceptable. | ||
| 4) | Review and follow waste storage
and disposal procedures required in your laboratory by the EPA. Link to
the Chemical/Hazardous Waste Checklist
for EPA Compliance or you may read the following procedures. All containers of wastes must be labeled with the full chemical name(s) as soon as any waste enters the container. No abbreviations or chemical formulas are allowed. Pre-printed tags designating the container as "chemical/hazardous waste" must be affixed to each container of waste. This is because EPA requires that hazardous waste be labeled with the words "hazardous waste." Tags are available from the Central Stockroom. The generator must identify all components of the waste, and if a mixture, the approximate percent by volume. (When the percent by volume information is available.) Do not date the tag until the waste container is full. Once full, the tag should be dated and then the container moved to the Central Stockroom within 3 days of the date. Three (3) days is the EPA limit for full containers. Make sure that full waste containers do not stay in the laboratory longer than 3 days. Also, make sure that once it is dated, it gets moved within the three days. Call the Central Stockroom at X8843 or bring it down to the Stockroom if you have been trained on how to transport properly or if you have had annual laboratory safety training. If the container is not full, it may remain in your satellite accumulation area, as long as you have not accumulated too much waste in the laboratory and it is closed, stored, and labeled properly. However, waste must never be kept in a laboratory for longer than one year. If the waste is moved to a nearby room, then it is not considered in satellite accumulation and is subject to more stringent requirements. Do not do this. Descriptions such as "organic waste" alone are not acceptable. Waste containers must be kept closed at all times unless adding or removing the waste. (This includes biohazard waste) No open containers are allowed anywhere (i.e., laboratory, fume hood, storage area). Do not store waste in open beakers. Open funnels must be removed from the bottles unless actively pouring waste. However, the sealable funnels attached to bottles are acceptable. Parafilm is also not allowed. The EPA considers an open waste container a serious violation. If waste bottles have collection tubes in place (i.e., from laboratory instruments) place a hole in the bottle cap JUST large enough for the effluent tube. This will allow you to keep the collection tube in place, even if the instrument is not running. Also, store this waste container in a tub. If there is not a small hole in the cap, make sure the tubing is removed and then the container sealed with the cap as soon as you are no longer adding waste to the container. Separate your chemically incompatible waste. Use tubs that are available from the central stockroom to keep containers of incompatibles separated. Store your waste in secondary containment (tubs). This is important to contain leaks or spills, to separate incompatible wastes, and when chemicals are stored near a drain. Hazardous waste must not be placed in containers with which they will react. (e.g., acids, bases or halogenated solvents in metal containers) Make sure waste containers are in good condition, free of deterioration, and not leaking. Never put hazardous waste down the drain. Always separate hazardous wastes from non-hazardous wastes. Volumes of hazardous waste will increase subjecting us to increased regulatory requirements. To determine if the chemical is a regulated hazardous waste, contact the Safety Department or consult EPA regulation 40CFR 261 - Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste. You may also click on the following link to view EPA's Hazardous Waste List. Make sure that everyone in your laboratory or area of responsibility is thoroughly aware of proper waste handling procedures relevant to their responsibilities and emergency procedures. Examples of emergency procedures include spills or leaks, injuries or illnesses, fire and accidental chemical exposure. (The EPA will conduct interviews with faculty, staff and students during their inspections of the University.) Make sure that everyone who is responsible for generating or handling hazardous waste or transporting hazardous waste to our Central Stockroom completes annual laboratory safety training. We have classroom training or safety discussion guides to meet these requirements. Laboratory Directors must ensure that employees and students in their laboratories comply with these hazardous waste policies in their daily operations. |
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| 5) | Separate halogenated waste from non-halogenated waste solvents. Solvent mixtures with more than 5% halogenated solvent by volume should be placed in the halogenated waste containers. | ||
4. Your Role in Waste Reduction
| a. | The following guidelines are presented to assist you in reducing the amount of waste generated in your laboratory: |
| 1) | Order only what is needed. The cost of transportation and disposal of unused chemicals is far greater than the amount of money saved by ordering chemicals in bulk. | |
| 2) | Do not mix small quantities of hazardous chemicals with non-hazardous waste, as this may cause the entire waste to be listed as hazardous. | |
| 3) | Do not mix waste that is expensive to dispose of with large quantities of more common waste streams. (ex., reactive chemicals and heavy metals should not be mixed with your 5 gallon container of organic wastes). | |
| 4) | Substitute materials which are less hazardous whenever possible. | |
| 5) | Items which can be safely disposed of in the normal trash should not be given to the Safety Department, mixed with hazardous chemicals, or put into solvent collecting bottles. These items include empty bottles and gloves. | |
| 6) | Peroxide forming chemicals must not be kept in your lab for longer than six months after they have been opened. See Safe Handling of Reactive and Peroxide Forming Chemicals. If you have peroxide forming chemicals which have been opened for longer than six months, contact the Central Stockroom (X8843). See a list of chemicals which may form peroxides. |
| b. | When planning experiments, consider the disposal of leftover starting materials and of the products and by-products which will be generated. Consider the following questions in your planning; |
| 1) | Can any material be recovered for reuse? | |
| 2) | Will the experiment generate any chemical that should be destroyed by a laboratory procedure? | |
| 3) | Can any unusual disposal problems be anticipated? If so, contact the Safety Department before you start the research. | |
| 4) | Is there a possibility of replacing a hazardous reagent or solvent with one that is less hazardous and easier to dispose of? |
5. Definition of Hazardous Waste
A chemical waste is considered to be hazardous waste if it is specifically listed by the EPA or DEP as a hazardous waste (Link to EPA's Hazardous Waste List) or if it exhibits any of the following 4 hazardous characteristics:
| a. | Ignitability - liquid with a flash point of less than 60°C. (140°F) Some examples are: |
| acetone | ethanol | petroleum ethers | methylethyl ketone | ||
| benzene | ethyl acetate | toluene | pentane | ||
| dioxane | hexane | xylene | methanol |
This is only a small list of ignitable wastes. Check the chemical label, the Material Safety Data Sheet, or call the Safety Department for more information.
| b. | Corrosivity - aqueous solution with a pH of less than or equal to 2, or greater than or equal to 12.5. However, under local regulations, materials of pH less than 5.5 and greater than 12 cannot be discharged to the sewer. Small quantities of acids and bases may be neutralized in the laboratory only when it is written as the last step in the experimental procedure. "Chromerge" glass cleaning solution and base baths are considered corrosive wastes. Corrosive materials also include thionyl chloride, sodium hydroxide and some other aqueous acids or bases. | |
| c. | Reactivity - Chemicals in
this category are either inherently unstable, or upon contact with other
materials may react violently or release toxic gases. Examples are:
cyanide compounds, strong oxidizers such as potassium permanganate and perchloric
acid, metallic sodium and potassium, picric acid, butyl lithium, old ethers
which may have formed peroxides, benzoyl peroxide, sodium borohydride, and
explosive salts such as sodium azide.
Reactive materials must be treated with extreme caution to protect not only the personnel in the laboratory, but also those who handle the material for its disposal process. Because of the considerable cost associated with disposal of reactive wastes, purchase volumes should be minimized. Laboratories generating a reactive chemical waste stream must have these materials collected regularly to prevent large quantities from accumulating. |
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| d. | Extraction procedure toxicity - chemicals characterized as EP toxic are those that may leach hazardous constituents into the groundwater if their wastes are improperly managed. This category includes toxic metals such as: |
| arsenic | chromium | selenium | |
| barium | lead | silver | |
| cadmium | mercury |
Pesticides and carcinogens are also included in this category.
| e. | Listed Compounds | |
| In addition to compounds which fall into the above categories, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has included as hazardous waste a list of substances which have been shown in scientific studies to have toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic effects on humans or other life forms, or they may be an environmental hazard, or the chemical may have a special hazard. | ||
| There are currently hundreds of substances included on these lists. (Link to list) Below are some examples of substances commonly used at the University which appear on the lists. This list is not all inclusive. |
| acetaldehyde | chloroform | osmium tetroxide | |
| acetonitrile | cyanides | phenol | |
| acrylonitrile | carbon tetrachloride | pyridine | |
| acrolein | diaminobenzoic acid | sodium azide | |
| bromoform | (DAB) | tetrachloroethylene | |
| cacodylic acid | ethidium bromide | tetrahydrofuran | |
| trichloroethylene |
Materials which fall into any of the four categories described above or which are included in the Environmental Protection Agency 's or the Pa. DER’s list are to be considered hazardous waste. If you think a material may not be considered hazardous due to its dilute concentration or limited quantity, please contact the Safety Department for proper disposal procedures. In any case, if you are unsure as to whether a material is hazardous, contact the Safety Department.
Click here for the procedures for the disposal of biohazardous waste.
Click here for the procedures for the disposal of radioactive waste.
| University of the Sciences in Philadelphia • 600 South Forty-third Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104-4495 • phone: 215-596-8800 • email: safety@usip.edu |