Campus Hazardous Waste Disposal

Hazardous chemical wastes are either byproducts or chemical stock no longer in use that MUST BE collected by RMEHS for disposal, provided they are properly packaged and labeled. RMEHS will ensure that the waste materials are disposed of in an approved manner and that the documentation of the disposal is maintained.

When collecting hazardous chemical waste follow these procedures, 

• Ensure that individual containers are labeled in accordance with the identification requirements (or individual contents) prior to adding waste to the container. 
• Make sure hazardous waste containers are appropriate, sealed, and in good condition. 
• Segregate hazardous waste from incompatible materials through distance or physical barriers such as placing the container in a secondary containment. 
• Submit an EH&S Service Request (link to service request form) for hazardous waste pickup and removal. 

Note: If unsure how to dispose of waste, please contact EHS at (909) 537-5179, complete a service request form, or refer to the Safety Data Sheets for more information on how to dispose of products. Strict regulations governing the disposal of hazardous wastes have been promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Cal/EPA, and San Bernardino County Department of Health. Infractions of these regulations can lead to the civil and criminal prosecution and/ or fines. Therefore, it is imperative that these materials be disposed of in a responsible manner that aligns with regulatory standards.  

Hazardous waste containers must be labeled when waste starts accumulating (i.e. as soon as the first drop of waste is put in the container), not when the container becomes full. All chemical waste containers MUST BE labeled with the following information:

• Accumulation start date: when the first drop of waste is placed into the container. 
• Name, extension, and room number of lab supervisor and/or principal investigator (PI). 
• List all constituents, including water, and estimate the concentration of each constituent.  
  • Do not use abbreviations or chemical formulas 
• Complete the physical state of the waste (Solid, Liquid, Gas) 
• Add the appropriate hazards and hazard class to the labels. Consult with the material's SDS to decide on the appropriate hazards.
• Do not combine incompatible waste.  

In addition, the following precautions must be observed:

• DO NOT store incompatible waste containers in the same areas.
  • Example: If you have two different waste streams that are incompatible with each other store them in different areas away from each other.  
• DO NOT use incompatible containers for waste.  
  • Example: Accumulating a mineral acid in a hydrogen peroxide container or acids in a metal container.  

Containers are considered empty when no material can be poured or scraped from it. The container must be California empty before disposing of it as regular waste.  

Empty hazardous chemical containers may be disposed of as regular waste and must meet the following criteria.

Disposal of liquid hazardous chemical containers:   

• No liquid can drain from the container when tilted in any direction.  
• Collect any liquid in a separate waste container for proper hazardous waste management.  
• Invert the container on a gray spill pad to collect any residual liquid and dispose of the gray spill pad as hazardous waste.  
• Deface all labels with a dark pen or place a label around the container stating that EMPTY and the date it was emptied.  
• When triple rinsing containers collect all the resulting liquid as waste.  
• Containers can be recycled when completely dried and all labels are defaced. 

To dispose of empty solid hazardous waste containers:  

• There should be no solid hazardous material remaining that can feasibly be removed.  
• The walls have no coated material on them, a thin layer of dried material is acceptable.  
• Collect any residual solid waste in a separate waste container for proper disposal.
• Deface all labels with a dark pen or place a label around the container stating that EMPTY and the date it was emptied.  
• The container can be recycled after removing, drying out, and defacing the labels  

Before collecting waste, ensure all chemicals/materials are segregated by hazard class. Common examples of proper segregation are but not limited to:  

• Acids from bases,  
• Oxidizers from organic solvents, 
• Cyanides from acids, 
• Flammable liquids from acids, bases, oxidizers,  
• Flammable solids from acids and oxidizers,  
• Corrosive acids from flammable liquids, flammable solids, bases, oxidizers, 
• Corrosive bases from oxidizers and acids, and 
• Water-reactive from aqueous solutions and oxidizers. 

For more information on how to segregate chemicals use the Cal State LA Chemical Segregation Table or submit a 'Request for RMEHS Service' for a hazardous waste consultation. 

All hazardous materials should be properly stored and transported to prevent spills and uncontrolled reactions. All hazardous waste should be segregated by hazard class. In addition, the following requirements must be met when accumulating waste: 

• A complete hazardous waste label affixed to the container before adding any hazardous waste.  
• DO NOT accumulate hazardous waste in the lab for more than 90 days.  
• Always keep containers tightly closed, except when adding waste. If using a funnel, it must be removed and replaced with a tight-fitting lid as soon as you have finished adding the hazardous waste.  
• If the funnel can be closed tightly, it can be left on the container.  
• Hazardous Waste containers must be chemically compatible with the waste 
  • Example: DO NOT use an empty sulfuric acid container to accumulate potassium hydroxide waste. These are incompatible and may react with each other.  
• All waste containers should be contained in a secondary container while in storage and accumulation.