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Chemical Waste Container Management
It is the responsibility of laboratory custodians to ensure
that containers of hazardous waste stored in the laboratories
under their control are managed properly. In order to ensure
proper management of these containers follow the following
guidelines: 1. All hazardous waste designated for disposal must be placed
in appropriate glass, metal or chemically inert, non-reactive,
non-flexible plastic containers with tightly fitting screw
caps. Corrosives should not be placed in metal containers.
Leaking, visibly damaged or rusted containers are not acceptable.
Used containers should be clean. Do not refill used reagent
containers with potentially incompatible waste chemicals.
Open containers or containers with cut glass, aluminum foil, "Parafilm",
rubber or cork stoppers are unacceptable. Do not overfill
waste containers. 2. All containers labeled as containing hazardous waste must
be stored in a secondary containment device (i.e. tub or
basin) to prevent environmental contamination in the event
of a spill or leaking container. Each basin must be leakproof
and constructed of a chemically inert material. It must
be capable of containing either the total volume of the
largest waste container in the basin or 10% of the total
waste volume in the basin, whichever is greater. 3. The exterior of each waste container must be clean and
free from chemical contamination so that labels will adhere
to the container. All markings not pertaining to the actual
waste contents must be completely removed or obliterated. 4. Waste containers must be kept closed at all times except
when in the process of adding waste to the container. Waste
containers must not be filled to the top. Two inches of
space must be left at the top of every container larger
than a quart. 5. Waste containers must be inspected weekly for leaks and/or
deterioration. If a container is leaking or deteriorating,
transfer its contents to a new suitable container. Disposal of Empty Chemical Containers This procedure is designed to render empty glass and plastic
chemical containers suitable for ordinary refuse disposal. Chemical containers that have been emptied (generally this
means drained of their contents by normal means including
pouring, pumping, aspirating, etc.) are not regulated as
hazardous waste, however they should be triple rinsed with
water or other suitable solvent and air-dried to ensure
that it is free of liquid or other visible chemical residue.
Additionally, all labels identifying the contents of the
container should be removed or defaced. Containers meeting
this criteria should either be placed into a Broken Glass
container or the general refuse containers provided by General
Services. The generator must determine whether the washings
must be collected and disposed of as hazardous waste. For
volatile organic solvents (e.g. acetone, ethanol, ethyl
acetate, ethyl ether, hexane, methanol, petroleum ether,
toluene, xylene, etc.) not on the list of acutely hazardous
wastes (P-List), the empty
container can be air dried in a ventilated area (e.g. chemical
fume hood) without triple rinsing. If residues remain after, the container should be disposed
of as chemically contaminated solid waste and consigned
to EHS for disposal. |
