Special Waste & Laboratory Smalls
Chemical waste that cannot be disposed of via any alternative waste stream and must be collected by an external contractor; this is termed “special waste”.
If you are unsure whether a given waste item is classified as “special waste”, please contact Kevin Jones (kj34) for assistance.
It is difficult to provide an exhaustive list of special waste, however, a handful of examples are shown below:
- Aqueous solutions containing metals (e.g. nickel solutions from affinity chromatography, aqueous osmium / selenium waste, acidic solutions containing transition-metal waste)
- Aqueous solutions containing hazardous organics (e.g. hydrazine, 4-nitrophenol)
- Solids containing metal impurities (e.g. research samples containing transition metals, celite contaminated with metal catalysts)
- Research chemicals that have degraded or been stored for an extended period of time
(“Laboratory smalls” – chemicals in a jar / bottle that would routinely be used in a lab)
Disposal Procedure
Once you have confirmed with Kevin Jones that the waste needs to be removed by an external contractor:
- Complete a special waste label (available from stores) and attach to the waste container.
(Special waste labels are not required for clearly identifiable commercial chemicals) - Determine the “HP code(s)” for your waste item(s). Instructions on how to do this can be found HERE.
- Complete the special waste submission form (complete a new form for each item).
- Place the container in the special waste drop-off area (see picture below). Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for the access code if required
- The paperwork for collection by an external waste contractor will be submitted on your behalf.
Bulk Removals
In the event that a large number of special waste items need to be collected at the same time (e.g. during a laboratory move, destruction of legacy chemicals), please contact Kevin Jones (kj34) directly to discuss how to complete the relevant paperwork.