Waste Pathways at GSBME Your exciting gateway to getting rid of your rubbish

Lots of Different Types of Waste AQIS Quarantine waste Animal Carcases Animal bedding and waste Asbestos Biological waste Broken Glass Chemical waste Co-Mingled Waste Cytotoxic waste Domestic waste Empty glass and plastic chemical bottles E waste General laboratory waste (GLW) Hazardous Waste Human Tissue Paper Plant Workshop Waste Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) Radioactive waste Schedule 8 Drugs Surgical Waste Sharps

Waste Groups

General Principals No waste down the sink Store waste safely Do not dilute chemicals for disposal Always label the chemical waste-name description, risk assessment number, key hazards Do not mix waste types if possible When in doubt ask Waste pathways should be identified in the risk assessment before any waste is generated. HS321 UNSW Laboratory Hazardous Waste Disposal Procedure

Animals-Animal Facility Manager Waste type Description Pathway AQIS Quarantine waste Special contract. Tightly controlled Specific Bins in the Animal Facility Animal Carcases Deceased animals or animal tissue that has been used for research or teaching. This category does not include animals that have been contaminated with any other hazardous substance Bagged and placed in the freezer in corridor Level 4 Do Not put them in the biological waste bins Animal bedding and waste Non infectious Infectious Black bag, wheelie bin out for council pick up Biohazard autoclaved double bagged out via cool room yellow bin

Surgical- Animal Facility Manager Waste type Description Pathway Surgical Waste Non infectious materials Biohazard bag in the yellow cool room bins Schedule 8 Drugs those drugs which are listed under Schedule 8 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP) which is incorporated within the Drugs and Poisons and Controlled Substances (DPCS) Act and are also known as Drugs of Addiction. Disposal must be documented Human Tissue Recognisable human tissue or body parts. Ethics approval documentation Cytotoxic waste Cytotoxic waste is material that is, or may be, contaminated with a cytotoxic drug during the preparation, transport or administration of chemotherapy. Cytotoxic drugs are toxic compounds known to have carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or teratogenic potential. All Cytotoxic Drugs and Related wastes must be placed in purple Cytotoxic waste containers and labeled incinerate at 1100ºC’.

Lab Waste-Lab Manager Waste type Description Pathway Biological waste Material containing or contaminated with infectious microorganisms, infectious material sample remains, used Petri dishes, culture bottles, disposable equipment, used gloves, non-recognisable human tissue, human blood or body fluids, infected animal carcasses and infected bedding, animal blood or body fluids. PC2 Biological waste bags autoclaved, double bagged and fill out a red tag put in the yellow bins in the cool room for contractor pick up General laboratory waste (GLW) – contains paper, gloves, pipette, tips, tubes or other general laboratory material contaminated with chemical residues. Absorbent materials and disinfectants used to disinfect surfaces are included in general laboratory waste. No infectious or radioactive contact Biohazard bag in each lab. When full, tie up and fill out green waste label and put in yellow bins in the cool room Broken Glass Non-contaminated broken glass. No sharps contaminated see co-mingled waste White 20 L bins in 429 Empty glass and plastic chemical bottles Containers must be rinsed out and allowed to drain so no hazardous chemical residue remains. Lids off If this is not possible, it must go out as chemical waste-leave the lid on On the waste disposal cabinet outside 429 #NNNN numbers are needed for updating the chemical database

Hazardous-Lab Manager Waste type Description Pathway Hazardous Waste Explosive, flammable liquids/solids, poisonous, toxic, ecotoxic, infectious substances, chemicals, clinical wastes; waste oils/water, hydrocarbons/water mixtures, emulsions; wastes from the production, formulation and use of resins, latex, plasticizers, glues/adhesives; wastes resulting from surface treatment of metals and plastics copper, zinc, cadmium, mercury, lead. Liquids via chemical pathways Solids –waste pick up point cabinet outside 429 then via contractor pick up Infectious via biological waste pathways. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) At no stage should polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other halogenated compounds be mixed with other waste. These require special disposal through the OHS Unit. . Case by case assessment Chemical waste contractor Radioactive waste radioactive materials has a specific activity less than 100 becquerels per gram (2.7 nCi/gm or 2.7 μCi/Kg) a total activity less than 40 kBq (~ 1μCi) of Group1 radionuclides Held on site until it decays to below background Other levels apply depending on the type of radiation

More Stuff Waste type Description Pathway E waste Computers, electrical goods and components Computer reuse scheme e-waste recycling –works and services order Facilities 55111 Paper Clean printing paper and cardboard Blue recycling bins on level 4 and 5. Boxes are to be folded and placed near the bin Facilities ext 55111 Plant Workshop Waste Typical waste includes hydrocarbons such as oil and grease, detergents, batteries, scrap metal, timber off cuts, Perspex, fibre glass, obsolete plant and equipment and building materials. Liquids via chemical pathways Batteries good condition only, in the box outside 429 Non hazardous waste in skips outside biological sciences. Small pieces in domestic waste Equipment via works and services order for recycling

And More Waste type Description Pathway Sharps These can include syringes with needles, broken glass, scalpel blades and objects or devices having sharp points, protruding pieces or cutting edges, capable of cutting or piercing the skin Sharps containers are in the lab store When full –lock up and placed on waste collection cabinet outside 429 Domestic waste Non-contaminated waste, eg paper, boxes, plastic (non-scientific disposables) that have not been in contact with chemical, biological, radiation or other hazardous substances. If it’s not in your house, it’s not in this bin Domestic waste bins cleaned daily by the cleaners No Gloves or specimen containers –even clean ones Facilities 55111 Asbestos Ovens, furnaces or other laboratory equipment which you suspect may pose an asbestos risk Case by case assessment

Bit of Both I’m from the University - I’m here to help Waste type Description Pathway Co-Mingled Waste Co-mingled waste is a combination of 2 or more waste categories, such as infectious and radioactive waste, or infectious and chemical wastes, contaminated broken glass Case by case assessment documented in Risk Assessment I’m from the University - I’m here to help Consult an expert Lab staff Supervisors OHS unit Work out how to get rid of it BEFORE you start

Experts Ext Waste Category & Colour Code Waste Descriptor   OHS & WC Contact Ext Domestic Paper and plastics Facilities - Bob Wilcox 56642 Broken glass Broken glass - non contaminated Martina Lavin 52914 Sharps Sharps, e.g. scalpel blades, syringe needles Adam Janssen 52214 Chemical Biological Infectious, Biological, Clinical, GMO, human blood or body fluids, infectious animal carcases or material Cytotoxic Cytotoxic drugs or materials contaminated with cytotoxic drugs Animal Carcasses Animal carcasses Radioactive Bob Armstrong 52912 Schedule 8 Drugs Drugs of addiction Phyllis Heggie 52916 Human Tissue Recognisable Human Tissues or body party Co-mingled Mixed waste categories General Laboratory Waste General laboratory disposable materials eg.  including soft waste (PPE) and tips/tubes contaminated with residues including absorbent materials used with disinfectants.

Solid wastes are placed on waste collection cabinet outside 429 Chemical Waste type Description Pathway Chemical waste All chemicals or materials that are contaminated with chemicals. This includes but is not limited to explosive, flammable liquids/solids, poisonous, toxic Halogenated Hydrocarbons Non-Halogenated Hydrocarbons Aqueous Waste – Acid [dilute solutions less than 5M*] Aqueous Waste – Alkali [dilute solutions less than 5M*] Aqueous Waste with Heavy Metal Content Aqueous Waste with non-Heavy Metal Content *Do not mix any acids or alkalis over 5M Liquid Waste cubes in 429 Solid wastes are placed on waste collection cabinet outside 429

Chemicals-Liquid Segregation Small quantities of chemicals may be combined for waste disposal. (<200ml) Large qualities of waste should not be mixed but stored and disposed of as unmixed waste to make recycling easier. Chemical labeling rules apply to waste. Waste is removed by the UNSW contractor

Chemicals Chemical type Description Halogenated Hydrocarbons Aromatic hydrocarbons with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine attached. Commonly toxic but not flammable Non-Halogenated Hydrocarbons Organic compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon. Commonly flammable Aqueous Waste – Acid [dilute solutions less than 5M*] Ph >7 Aqueous Waste – Alkali [dilute solutions less than 5M*] Over 5M acids and Alkali must not be mixed pH <7 Over 5M acids or Alkali solutions must not be mixed with other chemicals Individual containers. Concentrated solutions should not be mixed Aqueous Waste with Heavy Metal Content Aluminum, Antimony, Arsenic, Barium, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium as hexavalent Cr(VI), Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Molybdenum, Nickel, Osmium, Selenium, Silver, Tellurium, Thallium, Tin, Vanadium, Zinc Aqueous Waste with non-Heavy Metal Content Neutral pH, no hydrocabons, no heavy metals

Halogenated Hydrocarbons Common Halogenated Hydrocarbons 1,2-DIBROMOETHANE 1,2-DICHLOROETHANE BROMINE CARBON TETRACHLORIDE CHLOROBENZENE CHLOROFORM DICHLOROMETHANE METHYL IODIDE TETRACHLOROETHANE TRICHLOROACETIC ACID TRIFLUOROACETIC ACID

Non-Halogenated Hydrocarbons 2,4-DINITROPHENYLHYDRAZINE 2-METHOXYETHYL ETHER (DIGLYME) 2-METHYL-2-PROPANOL (tert-BUTYL ALCOHOL) 2-METHYLPROPAN-2-OL 4-METHYLPENTAN-2-ONE ACETIC ACID ACETIC ANHYDRIDE ACETONE ACETONITRILE AMYL ALCOHOL BENZALDEHYDE BENZENE BENZOIC ACID BENZYL ALCOHOL BUTAN-1-OL BUTANONE BUTYLAMINE CYCLOHEXANE CYCLOHEXANOL CYCLOHEXANONE CYCLOHEXENE DIETHYL ETHER DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE DIMETHYLGLYOXIME DIOXANE ETHANOL ETHYL ACETATE ETHYLENE GLYCOL DIMETHYL ETHER (MONOGLYME) FORMALDEHYDE HEXAMETHYLPHOSPHORAMIDE (HMPA) HEXANE LIGHT PETROLEUM METHANOL METHYL ANILINE N,N-DIMETHYLFORMAMIDE n-BUTANOL PHENOL PROPAN-1-OL PROPAN-2-OL PROPYL ACETATE PYRIDINE SODIUM B-NAPHTHOLIDE TETRAHYDROFURAN TOLUENE

More information This document is a summary of HS321 UNSW Laboratory Hazardous Waste Disposal Procedure