Disposal Highlights

Home Waste Management Disposal Highlights

• Attend hazardous waste training.
• Follow the established hazard waste handling procedures.
• Ensure the waste materials are properly managed in the lab.
• Go to the online waste tag website at otp.ucsc.edu and create a tag for each waste container. When ready to get rid of it, go to the main menu on the website and check all items in the satellite accumulation area that are ready for disposal, then click on the "Checked items ready for disposal" button.

How to get an OTP account and basic use guidelines

Manual for Waste Generators

Manual for administrators of OTP accounts

Manual for using the OTP to conduct laboratory inspections

• Filled to no more than 95% capacity to provide sufficient head space for changes in ambient temperatures.
• Securely sealed with an appropriate cap.
• Free of spilled waste materials on exterior.
• Properly tagged to identify contents by chemical name and percent concentration.
• Stored in a secondary container, e.g., cabinet or tub.
• Placed in a secure area, i.e., supervised lab (when no one is present, the area must be locked.

• All hazardous waste materials must be picked up by EH&S.
• All full containers of hazardous waste must be submitted for pickup online for removal from the lab or work area.
• To prevent spillage, breakage, or accidents and to coincide with quarterly vendor waste shipments, containers should be sized appropriately so that they may be removed within 90 days.
• To conform with regulatory requirements, however, all containers regardless of fullness must be submitted for pickup and removed within 6 months.
• Liquid or solid waste may not be disposed of in the trash or poured down the drain unless they are properly screened as nonhazardous materials using the “Hazardous Waste Guidelines.”
• Incompatible chemical wastes must be segregated in storage and in secondary containment.
• Waste containing carcinogens (e.g., syringes and needles, nutrient media, etc.) must be collected by EH&S.
• Chemically contaminated glassware and broken glassware must be placed in a lined “Fisher” glass box before disposal. Tightly seal the bag by tying or taping and then tape the box lid in place to avoid discharge of materials should the box be inverted; also, securely tape the bottom of large glass boxes to prevent similar incidents.

• Water reactive, pyrophoric, outdated organic peroxides, or other unstable materials must be handled on a case-by-case basis; tag and submit for pickup online.
• Picric acid and their derivatives require special handling arrangements; complete tagging and submit for pickup online.
• Compressed gas cylinders must be returned to the vendor; if vendor is unknown or cylinder is unacceptable to vendor, contact EH&S.
• Empty containers as defined in the Hazardous Waste Guidelines may be placed in the trash, provided labels are defaced; empty containers of extremely hazardous materials (LD50 </= 50 mg/kg) must be submitted to EH&S for disposal (see Hazardous Waste Guidelines).

Your waste may be rejected for pick-up for any of the following reasons. Please note that this list is not exhaustive:

• Container not tagged or tag not secure.
• Information on tag incorrect or not properly completed.
• Description on tag not consistent with wastes described as being in container indicated for pickup in the online database.
• Exterior of container contaminated.
• Waste containers are not accessible or cannot be safely moved due to physical storage conditions, chemical contamination in the surrounding environment, etc..

For further information:

the Online Waste Tag database

9-3086 for questions

For additional information about Hazardous Waste please contact the Hazardous Waste Manager.