1. How to handle
Laboratory waste?
Ravi Kumudesh
BSc/PG Dip(SMgt)/Dip(MLT)
Ministry Of Health, Sri Lanka
SLSMLS/RK

2. Introduction
 Safe, healthy & productive workplace
environment
 Responsible and effectively handling of
hazardous waste
 Good lab etiquette
 Municipal and government laws exist to
regulate and control hazardous waste disposal
SLSMLS/RK 2

3. Waste management
Manage waste responsible:
 Classification/ Characterizing hazardous waste
 Proper packaging
 Proper storage of waste
 Effective labeling
 Waste collection protocol in place
SLSMLS/RK 3

4. Types of waste
 Normal Municipal waste (general)
 Recyclable waste
 Broken Glass
 Biological / Medical waste
 Chemical waste
 Sharps, Broken Glass
 Radioactive material waste
 Electronic and computer waste
SLSMLS/RK 4

5. Hazardous Waste
 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
SLSMLS/RK 5

6. CHEMICAL WASTE
SLSMLS/RK 6

7. Classification dangerous goods and substances
 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
SLSMLS/RK 7

8. Segregate chemical waste
 Proper segregation = good chemical hygiene + safe
workplace environment
 Only put compatible chemicals in a container
 Also do not store the following near each other
 Acids and bases
 Organics and acids
 Powdered or reactive metals and combustible materials
 Cyanide, sulfide or arsenic compounds and acids
 Mercury or silver and ammonium containing compounds
 Do not mix solids and liquids
 Halogenated with non-halogenated chemicals
SLSMLS/RK 8

9. Chemical Waste Compatibility (1)
 Incompatible chemical waste not be mixed or
store together
 If it must be store in same area – separated
secondary containment
 Container must be compatible with the waste:
 Mineral acids - plastic
 Bases -Plastic
 Oxidizers - Glass
 Organics (incl Acetic acid) - Glass
SLSMLS/RK 9

10. Chemical Waste Compatibility (2)
Take special care
 Nitric acid:
Reacts with organics-heat & gas
Be sure container is rinse thoroughly
 Perchloric acid, Organic Peroxides:
Highly reactive with organics and organic material
(wood). May react with metals
 Hydrofluoric acid:
Dissolves glass containers
SLSMLS/RK 10

11. Packaging of chemical waste (1)
 Place hazardous waste in sealable containers
 Enviroserv supply different plastic and metal
containers
 Sized from 25L to 200L, plastic or metal.
 Containers must be kept closed.
 Do not leave a hazardous waste container with a
funnel in it.
 Glass bottles with waste must be packed with
vermiculite into bigger containers.
SLSMLS/RK 11

12. Packaging of chemical waste (2)
 The container should not react with the waste
being stored (e.g. NO hydrofluoric acid in glass)
 Similar wastes may be mixed if they are
compatible
 Wastes from incompatible hazard classes should
not be mixed (e.g. organic solvents with oxiders)
 Be aware that certain metals also cause disposal
problems when mixed with flammable liquid or
other organic liquids.
SLSMLS/RK 12

13. Labeling
 Must be labeled as HAZARDOUS WASTE
 Should be accurate, legible and fully explained
 Contain name of the department, lab group
name, contact person details, content and
concentration, hazard class, date
 Use Enviroserv /Sanumed self adhesive labels
or your own.
 Waste vs. used
 No old labels
SLSMLS/RK 13

14. Waste classification by Enviroserv
Specific codes for different departments (BOTZOO)
Code Type Disposal Method
 3A Flammables ABW
 3B Toxic compounds E
 3C Polyethelene Glycols TA
 3D Contaminated Broken Glass TC
 3E Contaminated tips, tubes TC
 3F Mineral acids ITP with Lime
 3G Concentrated organic acids TWC
SLSMLS/RK 14

15. Storage
Select the correct container (glass / polyethylene) for
storage
Use original containers if possible
Use appropriate sized container
Do not make containers too heavy to lift by the
contractors
Containers must be tightly sealed and not leak
Containers correctly labeled
Container compatible with chemical being stored
-separate containers for each type of waste
Do not store longer than 90 days
SLSMLS/RK 15

16. Collection Procedures
 Pack all waste in drums provided by contractors
 Ensure glass bottles are prevented from breaking by
adding vermiculite
 All drums must be properly classified and labelled as
HAZARDOUS WASTE
 When drums are full, fill in a pick-up form and
forward to USBD (Piet van Deventer, email
pjvd@sun.ac.za)
 USBD will arrange for contractors (Enviroserv) to
pick up the drums at your department
SLSMLS/RK 16

17. Special waste (1)
 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”
SLSMLS/RK 17

18. Special waste (2)
 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?
SLSMLS/RK 18

19. Unidentified Chemical waste
 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 drain
Mix unknown chemicals with any other chemicals
Bring unknown chemicals to a regular waste pick up
Abandon unknown chemicals in the work area.
SLSMLS/RK 19

20. BIOLOGICAL WASTE
 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
SLSMLS/RK 20

21. Biological waste cont.
 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
(ek2@sun.ac.za)
 Department took the carcasses themselves to the
Western Province Veterinary lab , Stb for incineration
SLSMLS/RK 21

22. Containers (1) –Biological
 Biohazard/medical waste
boxes
 Disposal of non-sharp bio
hazardous waste
 Cardboard box lined with
a red 45 micron plastic bag
 Two sizes 50 and 142 litre-
max 15kg
 Seal bag with cable tie,
seal box with biohaz .tape
 Sanumed destruct it by
high temp. incineration
SLSMLS/RK 22

23. Containers (2) –Biological
 Biohazard Sharp
containers
 Disposal sharp bio-
hazardous waste
 100% puncture proof
 Available in 4, 7.6,
10, 15 and 25 l
 Destruction by high
temp
SLSMLS/RK 23

24. Containers (3) –Biological
 Specimen bins
 For safe human and
animal tissue
disposal.
 Ideal for wet waste
 Available in 2.5, 5
and 10 l bin
 Destruction by high
temp
SLSMLS/RK 24

25. Points to remember
 No bio-hazardous waste shall be stored for longer
than 24 hours without being decontaminated
 Decontaminated bio-hazardous waste stored up to
30 days
 No storage public areas
 Store under refrigeration if necessary to prevent
odors
 Sharps containers treated as regular bio-hazardous
waste
SLSMLS/RK 25

26. Bio-hazardous waste Pick-up
Procedures
 Seal red bags when ¾ full with cable ties provided
by contractor
 Seal Biohazard/Medical waste boxes with
biohazard tape
 Complete chemical/biological waste pick-up
request form
 Forward electronically to USBD
 USBD will arrange for contractor (Sanumed) to
pick up waste and replace containers as needed
SLSMLS/RK 26

27. Ways to minimize waste
 Good housekeeping
 Document Procedures
 Maintain Chemical inventory
 Centralize purchasing
 Spill Preparedness
 Neutralize corrosives
 Minimize use of solvents
 Use alternative products
SLSMLS/RK 27

28. SLSMLS/RK 28

29. k You
Than
SLSMLS/RK 29