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Environmental Health & Safety

Biohazardous Waste

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Laboratory personnel and principal investigators (PIs) are responsible for identifying, packaging, and properly decontaminating biohazardous waste, including all recombinant or synthetic DNA/RNA waste, prior to disposal.  

What is biohazardous waste?
The following materials are defined as biohazardous or biomedical waste:

  • Sharps waste
  • Human and nonhuman primate blood, tissue, body fluids, and cell lines
  • Cultures or stocks of pathogenic agents, including bacteria, rickettsia, fungi, viruses, protozoa, parasites, prions, and select agents
  • Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids (recDNA), including waste products from procedures involving plasmids, viral vectors, E. coli, yeasts, and naked nucleic acids 
  • Laboratory waste items (i.e., used PPE, culture dishes, tubes) that have come into contact with a biohazard 
  • Animal waste, carcasses, and body parts that have been exposed to recDNA or any biohazard 
  • Human pathological waste 
  • Plant waste, including all transgenic plants, seeds, spores, plant debris and soil materials, and any plants exposed to plant pathogens 

Packaged Biohazardous Waste
There are many types and ways to package biohazardous waste for disposal. The most common found within TCU laboratory and research spaces include:

Bagged Solid Waste

  • Collect in plastic autoclave waste bags with a biohazard symbol. 
  • Double bag for petri dishes. 
  • Contain the bag inside rigid, leak-proof containers with a biohazard symbol. 

Lab Glass and Plastic

  • Collect in a puncture-proof container, such as a pipette box/keeper or a sturdy cardboard box. 
  • If using a cardboard box, line with a biohazard bag then label with the biohazard symbol and "laboratory glass." 

Sharps Waste

  • Collect in red, plastic sharps containers with a biohazard symbol and tight-fitting lid. 
  • Do not fill more than two-thirds full and do not mix with any other type of waste. 

Decontamination of Biohazardous Waste 

Steam sterilization with an autoclave effectively inactivates most infectious agents. Local regulations apply to autoclaves used to treat biohazardous waste. All operators must be trained on autoclave safety, as well as site and instrumentation-specific procedures.  

Visit the Autoclave Safety page for more information on guidelines, requirements, and resources developed by the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office to maintain safety and compliance.

Shipping Biohazardous Waste
Biohazardous waste can be shipped as "regulated medical waste" via a contractor for off-site treatment and disposal. EHS provides biohazardous waste removal services to TCU's research and teaching laboratories.

Other Waste Types
Liquid Waste
Liquid biohazardous waste must be treated before disposal via sanitary sewer. Use the following protocol to treat any free-flowing liquid biohazardous waste: 

  • Collect in leak-proof rigid containers labeled with a biohazard symbol. 
  • Add chlorine bleach to equal a final concentration of 10 percent bleach. 
  • Let the solution sit for at least 30 minutes before drain disposal. 

Mixed Waste
If you plan to generate mixed waste (i.e., combinations of biohazardous, chemical, and radioactive), please contact EHS prior to generation for guidance and assistance with proper collection, packaging, and labeling requirements. 

Pick Up Request
To schedule a biohazardous waste pickup, information related to the service, or any waste related questions, please contact EHS at safety@tcu.edu or 817-257-5395.  

Resources & Forms
EPA Third Rule
Biohazardous Waste Flow Chart (work in progress)