Chemical/Hazardous Waste Management (LDEO) - Environmental ...

LDEO 

Chemical Waste Management 

1

Agenda 

• Laboratory Safety 

• Environmental Management System 

• Waste Minimization 

• Laboratory Container and Glassware Management 

• Hazardous Waste 

– Rules and Regulations 

– Identification of Hazardous Waste 

– Proper Collection and Management of Hazardous 

Waste 

• Examples 

– Lab Equipment Disposal 

– Hazardous Waste review 

2

Environmental Management 

System (EMS) Framework 

3

EMS Policy and Procedure 

The EMS’s No Drain Disposal Policy requires 

all waste to be collected for safe and proper 

disposal through EH&S. 

4

EMS: Green Initiatives & 

waste minimization tips 

• Battery collection program 

• Chemical recycling: acetone, 

alcohol and xylene recovery 

• Do not mix halogenated & 

nonhalogenated solvents 

• Do not mix different waste 

types 

• Consider micro scale 

experiments 

• Reusable sharps containers 

• Glassware recycling 

• Plan 2017: 30% reduction in 

energy use 

5

Hazardous Waste is Regulated 

at the Federal and State Level 

6

Hazardous Waste Responsibilities 

Hazardous Waste is managed in accordance with a 

“cradle to grave” approach. 

7

Resource Conservation and 

Recovery Act (RCRA) 

• RCRA defines and establishes proper management 

standards for Hazardous Wastes. 

• The following categories provide the basis for identifying 

Hazardous Wastes: 

– Characteristic Hazardous Waste 

– Listed Hazardous Waste 

– Inherently waste-like materials 

– Mixed Waste 

– Universal Wastes 

8

Characteristic Hazardous 

Waste: Ignitability 

Substances that are oxidizers or with a flashpoint less than 

140° Fahrenheit 

• Ethanol 

• Spray paint 

• Paraformaldehyde 

• Activated carbon 

• Sodium perchlorate 

9


Waste: Corrosivity 

Substances with a pH less than or equal to 2 

or greater than or equal to 12.5 

• Hydrochloric acid 

• Sodium hydroxide solution 

10


Waste: Reactivity 

Substances that react violently with water or generate 

toxic gases, vapors, or fumes when mixed with water; or 

are normally unstable or capable of detonation 

• Sodium metal 

• Dry picric acid 

• Potassium cyanide 

11


Waste: Toxicity 

Substances capable of causing death or injury 

in an organism due to a physicochemical 

reaction 

• Arsenic 

• Cadmium 

• Chloroform 

• 1,4-Dichlorobenzene 

• Lead 

• Mercury 

• Methyl ethyl ketone 

• Silver 

12

Listed Hazardous Waste 

Specific, acutely toxic chemicals appearing on 

the USEPA and NYSDEC lists, as well as their 

containers, are P-listed Hazardous Wastes 

• Allyl alcohol 

• Epinephrine 

• Sodium azide 

13

Inherently Waste-like Chemicals 

Chemicals can become “inherently 

waste-like” and must be handled as 

Hazardous Waste, if they have: 

• Expired shelf-life 

• No foreseeable use 

• Contaminated or unusable 

chemicals 

• Significant deterioration of label 

and/or container 

14

What are the Four Hazards 

Associated with Characteristic 

Hazardous Waste? 

Reactive 

Flammable 

Toxic 

Corrosive 

15

Mixed Waste 

Mixed Waste includes a RCRA 

Hazardous Waste and a radioactive 

isotope. Some common examples of 

laboratory Mixed Waste include: 

• Phenol-chloroform mixtures used in 

extractions of radiolabelled nucleic 

acids. 

• Certain gel electrophoresis waste 

(e.g., methanol or acetic acid 

containing radionuclides). 

• HPLC waste containing acetonitrile 

and a radionuclide. 

• Contact a Radiation Safety Officer 

(RSO) for guidance if your lab 

generates Mixed Waste. 

16

Universal Waste 

Universal Waste includes a variety of common items 

that contain RCRA Hazardous Wastes, which also must 

be managed to prevent environmental contamination. 

– UV and fluorescent lamps 

– Batteries 

– Mercury devices 

17

Used Batteries 

• CU collects and recycles 

over 40 tons (36,287 kgs) of 

used batteries from all 

locations. 

• Batteries are not permitted to 

be thrown in the trash. 

• Battery terminals should be 

covered with non-conductive 

tape or individually bagged 

and disposed of in a Used 

Battery Collection Container. 

• Find the nearest location on 

the EH&S website at: 

http://ehs.columbia.edu/ 

RecycleBattery.html 

18

Used Oil Management 

• Used oil is collected 

and recycled through 

EH&S. 

• 470 lbs (213 kgs) 

recycled in 2008 at 

LDEO. 

• All collected material 

must be kept in a 

closed container and 

labeled as “Used 

Oil”. 

19

Five Rules of Hazardous 

Waste Management 

The Five Ls are a quick reference to 

assist in managing Hazardous Waste: 

• coLLect 

• Label 

• Lid 

• Locate 

• Leaks 

20

Hazardous Waste Management 

The First of the Five Ls 

• coLLect 

– Anything flammable, corrosive, 

reactive, or toxic must be 

coLLected as Hazardous Waste. 

– Even small amounts (i.e. a few mL) must be 

coLLected. 

– The coLLection container must be compatible (won’t 

react) with the Hazardous Waste. 

• Do not coLLect hydrofluoric acid in glass 

containers. 

• Do not coLLect corrosive materials in metal 

containers. 

21


• THE FIVE Ls 

– Label 

• Label a container 

when the first drop of 

Hazardous Waste is 

added 

• All components of the 

Hazardous Waste 

must be listed 

• Do not use 

abbreviations or 

generic names 

• (e.g. “organics” or 

“halogenated”) 

22

How to Properly Fill Out 

Hazardous Waste Labels 

Header filled out 

completely 

Hazardous Waste 

classification Indicated—refer 

to MSDS or contact EH&RS 

for Hazardous Waste 

classification information 

All components listed 

no abbreviations used 

Amount of each 

component listed 

23


The Third of the Five Ls 

• Lid 

– Hazardous Waste collection 

containers must be closed at 

all times, except during the 

active filling of the container. 

– The Lid of the container must 

be screwed on tightly. 

– An open funnel or tubing 

must not be left in the top of 

the container. 

– If the container were to be 

knocked over, no waste 

should be spilled. For this 

reason, Parafilm is not an 

acceptable closure. 

24


The Fourth of the Five Ls 

• Location 

– Hazardous Waste must be collected 

“at or near” the point of generation 

(a.k.a. Satellite Accumulation Area). 

– Hazardous Waste cannot be moved to 

a collection area in another room. 

25


The Fifth of the Five Ls 

• Leaks 

– Hazardous Waste collection containers 

must be visually inspected by the generator 

of the waste on a regular basis to check for 

Leaks. 

– Contact the Safety department at x555 for 

assistance. 

26


Proper Collection and Management of Hazardous 

Waste does not allow for the following: 

• Evaporation 

• Neutralization 

• Dilution 

• Treatment 

27

For Hazardous Waste Pickup 

http://vesta.cumc.columbia.edu/ehs/wastepickup/ 

28

Examples 

http://ehs.columbia.edu/ 

29

Acceptable: Waste 

Management 

30

Unacceptable: CoLLection 

31

Unacceptable: Labels 

32

Unacceptable: Lids 

33

Unacceptable: Location 

34

Unacceptable: Leaks 

35

Unacceptable: Inherently Waste-like 

36

Lab Equipment Disposal 

– If used with radioactive 

material, FIRST a radiation 

safety officer must perform a 

wipe test and also clear the 

item. 

– If used with any biological 

materials, the item must be 

decontaminated with 10% 

bleach or 70% ethanol. 

– If any chemical contact was 

possible, item must be 

decontaminated with soap or 

mild detergent. 

– Refrigerants and/or oils must 

be removed before disposal, 

if applicable. 

37

In what Containers should 

these Wastes be Collected? 

38

What is Wrong with this Label? 

• Generator name, 

location and contact 

information must be 

listed. 

• Hg must be listed as 

Mercury. 

• Solvents must be listed 

with their full proper 

names. 

• Concentrations must 

be listed for each 

component. 

39

How should Oil waste be 

Managed? 

• Used oil must be 

kept in a closed 

container and 

marked or labeled 

as “USED OIL”. 

• Oil must not be 

labeled as 

“Hazardous 

Waste” or “Waste 

Oil”. 

40

Contact Information: 

LDEO Safety Office: 

• Phone: (845) 365-8822 

• Fax: (845) 365-8860 

For a Hazardous Waste Pickup, send an email to: 

hazwaste@admin.ldeo.columbia.edu 

Office of Environmental Health and Safety at the 

Morningside Campus: 

• Environmental: (212) 854-8749 ehrs@columbia.edu 

• Radiation: (212) 854-4442 rso-ehrs@columbia.edu 

41

•To receive credit for this training, you must 

initialize yourself on the RASCAL system at 

https://www.rascal.columbia.edu/ by signing 

in with your UNI within 24 hours of 

completing the training. 

•Copies of today’s training slides can be 

found at 

http://www.ehs.columbia.edu/TrainingContent 

s.html 

•We appreciate your feedback. Any questions 

or suggestions can be submitted on our 

electronic evaluation found at 

http://www.ehs.columbia.edu/TrainingContent 

s.html 

42

Any Questions? 

Please return your completed evaluations and make sure 

you neatly enter your information on the sign in sheet. 

43

Please click the 

link and fill out 

evaluation sheet. 

Start Evaluation 

44

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