Hazardous Chemical Waste

Collection Routine Collection What qualifies? Forms Labels Accumulation rules Sink, trash disposal Cleanouts Online Training Checklist Contact List

Chemical Collection

Request a one-time pickup of your waste with a Chemical Collection Request (pdf). Fill out all information completely and fax or snail mail (contact information is on the form.)

Your waste will be picked up in two to four weeks. Please plan ahead and be patient. Each waste item must be tracked from the point of generation to incineration, and we do the paperwork for hundreds of containers of waste every week.

If you have any questions about your waste or collection, email us at chmwaste@u.washington.edu or call our main number at 206.616.5835.

Routine Chemical Collection

Wastes that are generated on a regular basis may be set up as routine collections.

To set up a routine collection, fill out a Set Up Routine Chemical Collection Request (pdf). Click here for a sample Set up Routine Chemical Collection Request (pdf).

If you already have a routine number and would like to request a pickup of that routine waste, fill out the online Routine Chemical Collection Request with the routine number and quantity to be picked up.

If you set up a routine collection, your chemical waste is assigned a routine number in our database. We automatically know the composition of your waste, its disposal option, and where you are located. This is a more efficient process than non-routine waste collection and can speed our turnaround time. If you have any questions about whether your waste stream qualifies for routine waste collections, email chmwaste@u.washington.edu or call 206.616.5835.

What qualifies as Hazardous Waste?

Chemicals that are corrosive, flammable, toxic, or explosive are by legal definition "hazardous". Some additional chemicals are handled as hazardous waste because they are carcinogenic, persistent in the environment, or are not allowed in the trash because they generate dusts or other hazards. For more information about what qualifies as hazardous waste, refer to Section 3 of the Laboratory Safety Manual (pdf), take our online Hazardous Waste Training, or call 206.616.5835. Also refer to our webpages that outline when and how you can place non-hazardous chemicals trash or pour them down the sink.

Forms

• Chemical Collection Request (pdf)
• Sample Chemical Collection Request (pdf)
• Set Up Routine Chemical Collection (pdf)
• Sample Set Up Routine Chemical Collection (pdf)
• Routine Chemical Collection Request (email)

Labels

A UW Hazardous Waste Label, filled out completely, must be attached to each container of waste.

UW Hazardous Waste Labels are free and available online or at various locations on campus.

Waste Accumulation Rules

Follow the below Hazardous Waste Accumulation Rules. Violations of these rules can cost the University money and may be unsafe.

1. Accumulate waste in an appropriate container compatible with the waste, with a securely fastened screw top lid. Containers that were designed for solid chemicals should not be used for liquids.
2. Label all containers with a completed and securely affixed UW Hazardous Waste Label.
3. Leave some headspace in each container to allow for temperature and corresponding vapor pressure changes.
4. Store the waste in secondary containment to avoid spills and releases to sanitary sewer, especially into floor drains.
5. Make sure the the waste accumulation location is under your control to increase security.
6. Adhere to maximum accumulation limits (54 gallons for most chemical waste, 1 quart for "acutely hazardous waste" or "toxic extremely hazardous waste".)
7. Do not "double accumulate" (accumulate the same type of waste into two containers at the same time.)

Standard turn around time for pickup is two to four weeks. Four FTEs process and collect over 10,000 different chemicals from 3,300 locations, including large volumes of waste from the Harborview Medical Center and forty other offsite locations. Be aware that:

• Large volumes of waste or numbers of containers may take longer to collect due to the long time it takes to process the chemicals (it usually takes an hour to process one Chemical Collection Request) and the limited space on our trucks.
• Routine collection requests are faster because much of the paperwork is done already.
• If your waste is accumulated improperly (according the the above guidelines), we will stop to discuss the problem with you if you are present. We will not pick up your waste until the problem has been corrected.

If you have any questions, please contact the hazardous waste technologist collecting in your area.

Disposal to trash and sink

The following pages provide guidance on what chemicals and contaminated items can go down the sink or in the trash, and how to do both properly.

• Which chemicals can go in the trash
• Empty containers and other contaminated items that can go in the trash
• Which chemicals can go down the sink

Cleanouts

If you are relocating or cleaning out your workplace and will need us to collect a large volume of chemical waste from you, here are some guidelines.

• If you think you will have more than 100 containers of waste, call 206.616.5835 to arrange for a cleanout appointment. Call us at least a month in advance.
• If you will have fewer than 100 containers of waste, fill out copies of the Chemical Collection Request (pdf) and fax or mail them to us. Place completed UW Hazardous Waste Labels on each container. We will pick up the waste in two to four weeks after you request collection.
• Consider the Chemical Exchange for your unwanted but useable chemicals. "Useable chemicals" are unexpired and preferably unopened (unless it is a commonly used chemical).
• Finally, remember to update your chemical inventory with MyChem.

Online Training

For more information about hazardous chemical waste, complete our Online Hazardous Waste Training. All new employees as well as anyone rusty on the basics of hazardous waste management should take this training. It covers hazardous waste definitions, labeling, storage, and disposal and includes a short quiz, all of which should take only ten to twenty minutes to complete. If you pass the quiz, you may request a certificate of completion for your training records.

Waste Generator's Checklist

EH&S developed a Self Audit Checklist for waste generators. This checklist helps you comply with hazardous waste regulations, including the "Top Ten" waste management violations found in academic institutions. It is available here. (pdf)

Contact List

The below numbers are for the hazardous waste technologists that collect in each of the five zones. Call these numbers if you have questions about collection and other waste issues.