HAZARDOUS WASTE

 Waste Minimization Program:  Laboratory Waste Reduction

Laboratory Management

  • Write a waste management/reduction plan for the lab. Include waste reduction as part of student/employee training.
  • Keep information about chemical inventory and waste disposal procedures in the lab for everyone to reference.

Chemical Inventory Management/Purchasing

  • Use the Chemical Tracking Program . Train faculty, staff and students on maintenance (additions, transfers and deletions), searches and chemical sharing. Utilize the services of your Authorized Materials Receiver- they can make your ordering-related minimization efforts easier.
  • Date chemicals when they are first opened or received and dispose of the unused portion promptly when the chemical has expired. Use a first-in/first-out policy.
  • Purchase smaller amounts; make careful estimates and purchase only what you will need in the short-run. Do not purchase in bulk with the idea that is saves money unless you have a plan in place to share the chemical with other labs. The Hach Chemical Company sells small packets of pre-measured chemicals to mix for solutions of many reagents and standards. These small quantities will stay viable longer since they are sealed, and it is easy to estimate the quantity to purchase from the scales given by the company (1 packet makes one liter of solution, etc.).
  • If trying out a new procedure, try to obtain the chemicals needed from another lab or purchase a small, initial amount. If you will continue with the procedure, purchase only the amount of chemicals you will use.
  • Find a supplier that will accept unopened and/or expired chemicals for return. Return excess pesticides to the distributor.
  • Monitor the chemicals and research of students. Frequently, students graduate and leave their experimental chemicals behind, often inadequately labeled. In time, the other students and faculty can no longer identify the mixtures, resulting in high analysis costs.
  • Make sure all containers are labeled properly. The Environmental Technicians do not remove unidentified waste to the storage building. It is then the responsibility of the department to know/analyze the contents. Unidentified waste adds considerably to disposal costs.

Good Housekeeping/Storage Measures

  • Use proper storage equipment (flammable cabinets, corrosive cabinets, etc,).
  • Work on loss/spill prevention. Keep containers closed to prevent spills and evaporation. Periodically inspect for signs of leakage or poor storage practices.

Teach Resource-efficient and Waste-management Policies

  • Include waste management as part of the pre- and post- laboratory written student experience.
  • Encourage students to consider the environmental consequences of their experiments.
  • Encourage using solvents and other hazardous materials sparingly.
  • Emphasize conservation of water, electricity and other resources.

Design or Modify Experiments with Waste Minimization in Mind

  • Pre-weigh chemicals (or purchase individual packets from companies like Hach Chemical Co.).
  • Have students work in teams. This will cut the chemical consumption in half while teaching the students to work in a group.
  • Have the instructor demonstrate some experiments, especially those with acutely hazardous chemicals.

Implement Material Substitution

  • Use Alternatives to Wet Chemistry: make use of computer simulations, videos, etc.; use alternatives to solvent-based extraction; increase use of instrumentation.

In-lab treatment  (must be integrated into experimental design)

Reduce/Eliminate mercury and other heavy metals

  • Replace mercury thermometers with digital, red alcohol or spirit fluid types.
  • Replace mercury reagents. Replace mercuric chloride (as a biocide) with other solutions (5-10% methylene chloride, 1% formalin, 1N hydrochloric acid, sodium azide and sodium hypochlorite); as catalysts for reactions, eliminate the catalyst and let the reaction run longer; Kepro Circuit Systems provides alternatives to mercuric chloride circuit board etching reagents.

Reuse/Recycle

  • Filter solvent for reuse. Use spent/recovered solvents for initial rinsing and use fresh solvent only for final rinse. If you plan to use any treatment methods, there are a few regulations with which you must comply. Accumulation of materials for treatment later is prohibited. Permits may be required for some treatments; contact Environmental Health & Safety (x4305) if you need assistance in this area. In general, treatments must be written into the laboratory procedure and justified as beneficial/necessary.
  • Distillation is an option but this may require permitting. Calculate the savings against the cost of the permit. Excellent candidates for distillation: xylene, methanol, acetone, toluene.
  • In-line solvent recovery systems for liquid chromatography - make it easy to recapture up to 80% of high-purity solvents.

Segregate wastes

Accepting chemicals from private companies for research

  • When testing products for private companies, restrict donations to minimum amount necessary for research and make sure they will accept the return of any extra quantities.
  • Make sure the chemicals are completely labeled with the company’s name and the contents.