Laboaratory waste management

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Laboratory waste management

Rahul E MBps051416

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The best strategy for managing laboratory

waste aims to maximize safety and minimize environmental impact, and considers these objectives from the time of purchase.

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The overriding principle governing the prudent

handling of laboratory waste is that no activity should begin unless a plan for the disposal of nonhazardous and hazardous waste has been formulated.

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Four strategies (tiers) to waste management to reduce its environmental impact:

pollution prevention and source reduction; reuse or redistribution of unwanted, surplus materials;

treatment, reclamation, and recycling of materials within the waste; and disposal through incineration, treatment,

or land burial.

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Incorporates the principles of green

chemistry : pollution prevention and source

reduction.

Clearly, the best approach to laboratory waste

is preventing its generation.

The first strategic tier

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Examples include reducing the scale of

laboratory operations, reducing the formation

of waste during laboratory operations, and

substituting nonhazardous or less hazardous

chemicals in chemical procedures.

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is to reuse unwanted material, redistribute

surplus chemicals, and reduce hazards. Practices that implement this strategy include purchasing only what is needed, keeping chemical inventories to prevent the purchase of duplicates, and reusing excess materials. Sanitary sewer disposal of certain aqueous liquids is considered within this tier, although there are many restrictions.

The second strategic tier

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In general terms, waste is defined as material that is discarded, is intended to be discarded, or is no longer useful for its intended purpose. This point may occur after the chemical has left the laboratory, however, if the organization has a way to reuse or redistribute the material or to use it in another procedure.

Regulators may consider a material to be a waste if it is abandoned or is inherently waste like (e.g., spilled materials).

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If waste cannot be prevented or minimized, the

organization should consider recycling chemicals that can be recovered safely from the waste and the potential for recovering energy from the waste (e.g., using solvent as a fuel).

Although some laboratories distill waste solvents for reuse, these strategies are most commonly accomplished by sending the waste to a commercial recycling or reclamation facility or to a fuel blender.

The third strategic tier

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Includes incineration, other treatment methods, and land disposal.

the goal is to minimize risk to health and the environment.

Land disposal is the least desirable disposal method.

The fourth and final strategic tier

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Normal Municipal waste (general) Recyclable waste Broken Glass

Biological / Medical waste Chemical waste Sharps, Broken Glass

Radioactive material waste Electronic and computer waste

Types of waste

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Any waste that directly or indirectly represents

a threat to human health or to the environment by introducing one or more of the following risks: Explosion or fire Infections, pathogens, parasites or their vectors Chemical instability, reactions or corrosion Acute or chronic toxicity Cancer, mutations or birth defects Toxicity or damage to the ecosystems or natural

resources Accumulation in the biological food chain,

persistence in the environment or multiple effects

Hazardous Waste

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CHEMICAL WASTE

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Class 1 Explosives Class 2 Gases Class 3 Flammable liquids Class 4 Flammable solids Class 5 Oxidizing substances and organic

peroxides Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances Class 7 Radioactive Substances Class 8 Corrosives Class 9 Other miscellaneous substances

ID & classification dangerous goods and substances

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Select the correct container (glass / polyethylene) for storage

Use original containers if possibleUse appropriate sized containerDo not make containers too heavy to lift by the contractors

Containers must be tightly sealed and not leakContainers correctly labeledContainer compatible with chemical being stored -separate containers for each type of waste

Do not store longer than 90 days

Storage

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Ethidium Bromide

Electrophoresis gels < 0.1% - trash Electrophoresis gels >0.1% - biohazard box EtBr solution- charcoal filtration

Mercury Spilled-pooled droplets, gloves & paper-

puncture resistant container –label “mercury spill debris”

Special waste (1)

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Silica gel Not grossly contaminated – normal lab trash Heavy contaminated- disposed as hazardous waste

Batteries Classified as universal waste rather than hazardous

waste Contain mercury, cadmium, lead, silver, lead-acid Alkaline (no Hg) - not to be put in the normal trash. South Africa Recycle program?

Special waste (2)

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Should be considered unknown hazardous waste. Unknown waste cannot be legally transported or

disposed. To dispose them safely and properly it need to be

characterised by Enviroserv which is a costly affair. Find out as much as possible about how the waste

was generated. Please DO NOT

Pour unknown chemicals down the drainMix unknown chemicals with any other

chemicals Bring unknown chemicals to a regular waste

pick up Abandon unknown chemicals in the work area.

Unidentified Chemical waste

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Definition: Waste generated from

biologically-cultured stocks and plates, molecular material, blood, animal and plant tissues etc.

All sharps e.g. glass implements, needles, syringes, blades, glass Pasteur pipettes

Separate biological waste from chemical hazardous waste

Treat to eliminate biohazard by sterilization or incineration

Label correct, use biohazard tape

BIOLOGICAL WASTE

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Animal Bedding waste

Bagged – not be mixed with other waste Labelled as animal bedding waste Are to be autoclaved before being placed in

medical waste boxes – disposed in the medical waste stream

Animal carcasses Are kept frozen Get an order number from Elmarie King –USBD

([email protected]) Department took the carcasses themselves to

the Western Province Veterinary lab , Stb for incineration

Biological waste cont.

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Good housekeeping Document Procedures Maintain Chemical inventory Centralize purchasing Spill Preparedness Neutralize corrosives Minimize use of solvents Use alternative products

Ways to minimize waste

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Prudent Practices for Disposal of Chemicals from Laboratories (

NRC, 1983); Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals (NRC, 1995).

http://www.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/labsafetymanual http://www.enviroserv.co.za http://www.epa.gov/sbo/labguide Minimum requirements for the handling, classification and

disposal of hazardous waste. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, RSA, 2nd edition 1998

CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety 5th Edition-Keith Furr Laboratory Safety: Practice and Principles-Flemming Diane

Information

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