MANAGING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND WASTE

The purchase of chemicals is handled by the individual departments, preferably in consultation with the TCU Safety and Environmental Management. All chemical purchases must include a request for a Safety Data Sheet. The Safety Data Sheet is required to be sent by the vendor to the buyer within 30 days of receipt of the chemical. The department must maintain a copy of each safety data sheet, accessible to all employees.

All incoming chemicals must be properly labeled. Whenever a chemical is transferred from its original container, the new container is required to be properly labeled. Employee training is required by federal and state law for all new chemical hazards introduced into the workplace. Each department or college must maintain a training program and provide written documentation upon request.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encourages pollution prevention. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 promotes an integrated environmental ethic stressing pollution prevention. The goal is to prevent pollution before it becomes a problem. Pollution prevention practice in the research and educational environment will develop in students an awareness of proper waste management. Research and educational institutions have unique waste management problems. Waste volume is not large, but the diversity of wastes is considerable. Differing wastes are generated in chemistry, biology, geology, physics, psychology, arts, printing, maintenance, custodial, and photography environments.

All hazardous waste generators are responsible for the safe cradle-to-grave management of any hazardous waste they may generate. Many labs are reassessing existing chemical waste management to alleviate the consequences of disposal costs, aggressive enforcement, and future liability. The best way to manage the waste problem is to prevent waste where applicable. Sample EPA waste-reduction practices include:

  • Microscale experiments
  • Increase use of instrumentation and alternative teaching methods (interactive video chemistry labs)
  • Substitution of less toxic/hazardous compounds and/or use of entirely different experiment
  • Eliminate waste during experiments (reuse material for other reactions)
  • Pre-weigh chemicals
  • Reuse or recycle spent solvents
  • Onsite distillation and reuse
  • Segregate waste streams
  • Provide a designated waste storage area
  • Label and date incoming chemicals
  • Maintain labels
  • Develop a running inventory of unused reagent chemicals for use by other labs

The best way to manage hazardous waste is to prevent waste whenever possible.

All TCU academic areas participate in a centralized chemical inventory system managed by the Chemical Safety Specialist. All chemical purchases must go through the Purchasing Agent for inventory control purposes.

Hazardous material and hazardous waste are defined as follows:

Hazardous Material: Any identified chemical capable of causing physical hazard (flammable or explosive) or a health hazard (irritant or corrosive) that is currently in use or stored for use within an appropriate/authorized period.

Hazardous Waste: A solid or liquid material that is intrinsically, or has become hazardous due to a combination of or use of hazardous material and has been designated to be either thrown away or stored until quantity or time parameters require disposal. The EPA defines waste hazardous if it has certain properties that could pose dangers to human health and the environment after it is discarded. The waste also possesses certain characteristics, such as: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.

You will be able to tell if your waste is hazardous by reviewing its label, its Material Safety Data Sheet, or the EPA Hazardous Waste Regulations.

If you are uncertain about whether a product is hazardous, contact the Chemical Safety Specialist or Environmental Management and Safety at 817.257.7220.

Preparing Waste Containers for Disposal

Packaging:

  1. Package chemicals only in compatible containers. Tops to the container should also be compatible with the chemical.
  2. For lab pack shipments, the largest acceptable container is a metal, five gallon container. One gallon plastic, glass, or metal containers are acceptable.
  3. Do not mix chemicals unless they are mixed in the experiment or are the same.
  4. Do not fill containers completely full.
  5. All containers must have screw-type tops or caps capable of sealing the container so that the possibility of spillage will not occur unless the container itself is broken. Do not use corks, plastic wrap, tape, etc. to seal a waste container.
  6. Since the disposal company will not pick up containers that appear to have leaked, only containers that are clean on the outside will be picked up.

Labeling of Containers:

  1. All containers must be clearly labeled identifying the contents and the words “hazardous waste.”
  2. Write the current date on the container.
  3. Any labels which are incorrect should be defaced or, preferably removed.

Notification for Removal:

  1. Complete a Waste Tag and attach with a metal wire, tie-wrap, or heavy-duty tape.
  2. Small quantities of waste should be delivered to the Chemistry Stockroom (Sid W. Richardson Building, Suite 474) and placed on the red “Hazardous Waste” shelves. Contact the Safety and Environmental department at 817.257.7220 for large quantity disposal arrangements.
  3. Waste containers should be stored in a “satellite accumulation site” until the time of pick-up. This will reduce the possibility of accidental mixing of non-waste and waste material.

Special Note Concerning Inventory Control Numbers

Preparing Specific Wastes

Universal wastes – Some hazardous wastes are so common that they have been placed in the category of ‘Universal Waste.’ These types of wastes are noted below.

  1. Biohazard or medical wastes – Most waste of this type include sharps (broken glass/ needles), bandages, etc that have been contaminated by blood, body fluids or human pathogens. These wastes are found in operations typical of a health center, training room, research laboratories, etc. Sharp objects should never be picked up by hand and gloves should be worn when handling all materials of this type. Sharps containers (plastic red boxes) should be used for needle disposal. For waste storage, contact the Safety department at 817.257.7220 for disposal boxes and disposal pickup. For more information on disposal of biohazard or medical waste, link to: Bio Waste Disposal
  2. Fluorescent light bulbs (FLB, universal waste) – FLB’s are classified as a universal waste, if they are properly packaged and sent to a recycler. The warehouse at Physical Plant will provide the boxes necessary for most FLB’s on campus. There should be no used FLB’s stored in electrical rooms, mechanical rooms, boiler rooms, etc. unless they are properly tagged as “Universal Waste” and dated. They should be placed in closed boxes during storage until they can be transferred to the Physical Plant warehouse. For more information on FLB disposal link to: FLB Disposal
  3. Automotive or lead-acid batteries – Such products are considered hazardous waste unless recycled. Generally, most of these batteries can be transferred to the Safety and Environmental Management Department or Physical Plant warehouse for recycling. Do not place such batteries in dumpsters or regular trash for disposal. For recycling, contact 817.257.7220.
  4. Used oil based paint thinners, mineral spirits, naptha, and similar solvents (universal waste) – Such products can be recycled. Do not pour these products down the drain or clean brushes in the sink. Place spent materials into a container no larger than five gallons and prepare it for disposal as required above. The EPA defines this as a universal waste. For more information on paint waste link to: Paint Waste disposal.
  5. Oil-based Excess paint (universal waste) – The best method for controlling this type of waste is to purchase only what is needed at the time of use. Do not purchase paints (or other products) because of bulk discount prices and a possibility of use in the future. Compatible paints (such as oil-based or water-based) can be placed into 5-gallon containers. Oil-based should prepared for disposal as required above. Label each container as “Used Paint” or “Universal Waste” and dated. The EPA defines this as a universal waste.
  6. Latex or Water-based Paint – Latex paint is viewed as a non-hazardous waste and should be separated from oil-based paints to prevent contamination. Latex paint in a liquid form should not go into the regular trash or dumpster. Consolidate this type of paint in a 5-gal or a 55-gal container for disposal. These containers should be marked as “latex paint” and “Non-Hazardous waste” and dated. Empty containers can be disposed as regular trash if they are dry before disposal.
  7. Hydraulic fluids, pump oils, cutting oils, and other similar mineral oils (used oils) – In most cases, these oils can be recycled as non-hazardous waste unless they are contaminated by another product (i.e. magnesium, lead, cadmium, etc.) that is considered hazardous. These oil should not contain PCB’s. An example could be oil used in pumps and similar devices. Departments will need to place used material into a container no larger than five gallons and prepare it for disposal as required above. Segregate the different types of oils into separate containers. The container should be labeled as ‘used oil’ and dated. For more information on disposing of used oils, link to: TCEQ Guide to Used Oil Disposal
  8. Motor oils and other used oils – Like automotive batteries, this product is considered non-hazardous waste if it is recycled. Do not pour this product down any drain. Used oil generated by departments other than Physical Plant will need to be placed into a container no larger than five gallons and prepared for disposal as required above. In the Physical Plant, bulk used motor oil storage is available in the Grounds shop. These containers should be labeled as, “Used Oil” and dated. For more information on disposing of used oils, link to: TCEQ Guide to Used Oil Disposal
  9. Gas cylinders and lecture bottles – Cylinders under pressure are considered to be hazardous waste unless they are emptied and at standard atmospheric pressure. Many cylinders can be returned to the manufacturer when its’ use is completed. It is the responsibility of the generator to return emptied or partially emptied cylinders. Do not store gas cylinders for extended periods due to the corrosion of valves by some chemicals. Gas cylinders and lecture bottles are extremely expensive to dispose. If you cannot return the lecture bottles to the vendor, the average cost is around $1000 each to dispose. To reduce this cost purchase only what is necessary, do not buy in bulk quantities in an effort to save money, and make sure all lecture bottles are labeled and dated when purchased. To prevent problems and injury, dispose of the lecture bottle in a timely fashion . If the gas is one of the non-hazardous gases listed below, you may vent the following gases to a fume hood then dispose of the cylinder after ensuring the bottle is at atmospheric pressure and removing the valve: air, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, krypton, neon, nitrogen, and xenon.
  10. Mercury (universal waste) – This product has also become extremely expensive to dispose. The cost of disposing mercury contaminated waste can be four times as expensive as other types of hazardous waste. Extreme care is needed in the storage, use and cleanup of spills of this chemical because of the high costs. Particularly in the science and medical areas store this product only in fire cabinets. Use only the amount needed at any point in time. Do not leave large quantities out for extended periods of time. When it comes time to dispose of a mercury containing device, place the item in a unbreakable container that can be sealed to prevent spillage. Label the container as ‘mercury waste’ and date. If possible, mercury containing switches — as in a thermostat — should be removed from the electronics. For more information on disposal of mercury containing equipment (MCE), link to: TCEQ Guide to FLB and MCE disposal.