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Only non-hazardous, non-laboratory waste can go in the trash. For more information see Safety Net #12 "Why didn't the custodian pick up my trash."
Fold cardboard boxes and place them on the inside of the lab near the door for custodial pick up or take them to the cardboard recycle bin.

Equipment Disposal

To dispose of unused, unwanted or broken equipment, complete an Equipment Disposal form and submit it to the CNS Equipment Manager.

Non-hazardous Lab Waste

All lab waste that is not hazardous must be placed in clear bags to be autoclaved.
Place the bag in a secondary container before taking it to the autoclave room.
Use the autoclave that is specifically marked for “Lab Waste.”
For non-hazardous waste, purchase bags that DO NOT have the biohazard symbol on the bag.
Throw autoclaved non-hazardous lab waste into the trash.

Biohazardous Waste

Dispose of biohazardous solid waste in the red toter in room 425 at 1515 Newton Ct. and room in 124W at the Annex.
Place your red biohazard bag in a secondary container and take it to the room.
Be sure to label the bag with the building and room number.
Complete the information in the sign-in log on the table on the east wall of room 425 for items placed in the toter for 1515 Newton Ct.
Please do not place large items or metal items in the toter.
If the toter is full, notify the CNS Safety Manager or SOM Safety Officer.
For spills, see Safety Net 127 " Guidelines for Biological Spill Clean-up."

Chemotherapeutic Agents

Place liquid chemotherapeutic waste in an appropriately labeled yellow hard-walled container
Submit all chemotherapeutic waste to Stericycle (An account with Stericycle must be set up prior to using chemotherapeutic agents.)
Call Stericycle when the container is ready for pick up.

Sharps (needles, syringes, contaminated broken glass, pipette tips)

Place sharps in a hard-walled “sharps” container.
When the container reaches the “full” line, close the lid so that the container is sealed.

Biohazardous Sharps:

Use a red sharps container labeled with the “biohazard” label.
Label the container with the building address and room number.
Label the container with the building address and room number.
Take the sealed container and place it in the red biohazard toter.
Note: Biohazardous sharps containers must be properly disposed of within 7 days of sealing the container.

Non-hazardous Sharps:

Place non-biohazardous sharps in a clear sharps container. If the container has a biohazard label, be sure to deface the label with a sharpie pen.
When full, seal the container and place in the red biohazard toter.

Chemotherapeutic Agent Contaminated Sharps:

Place sharps in a yellow sharps container labeled with the appropriate chemotherapy waste label.
Submit sharps to Stericycle (see “Chemotherapeutic Agents” above).

Radioactive Waste Sharps:

Place in a non-red sharps container.
Label the container with “radioactive” tape.
Place the labeled container in a radioactive waste box.

Note: if pipette tips are not disposed of as sharps, they must be double bagged in a thick bag and disposed of according to Safety Net #3.
For more information see Safety Net #3

Laboratory Glass (non-hazardous)

Place broken glass and unwanted laboratory glassware in a sturdy cardboard container that has a lid.
When the container is full, seal the lid and place the container in the trash bin.
Deface empty glass chemical containers of 5 gallons or less and throw them in the trash (or glass recycle if available.)
For more information, see Safety Net #3

Chemical Waste/Large Dry-cell & Lead Acid Batteries

Dispose of chemical waste within 9 months of its beginning accumulation date.
An EH&S representative will accept chemical waste, large dry-cell batteries, and Lead Acid Batteries every other month at 1515 Newton Ct. room 425.
To find the scheduled pick up dates and times, access the CNS Safety web site: http://neuroscience.ucdavis.edu/healthandsafety/HazardousMaterialsPickUp.html
On the day of the pick up, complete a Chemical Waste Disposal Form.
All chemicals must have a complete Hazardous Waste Label attached to them (see Safety Net #110 for more information).
Labs in 1515 Newton Ct.:

Take your properly labeled chemicals, in secondary containment, along with your Chemical Waste Disposal form to room 425 during the scheduled date/time.

Labs in 1544 Newton Ct. and the Annex:

Post the Chemical waste form to the door of room 425 the day prior to the pick up time.
An EH&S representative will come to your lab to pick up the chemicals.

DO NOT leave abandoned chemicals in or around the room, you must personally deliver the chemicals to the EH&S representative.
Deface empty glass or plastic chemical containers of 5 gallons or less and throw them in the trash, recycle, or reuse. (See Safety Net 124 more for information on empty container management).
For information regarding Ethidium Bromide detoxification, see Safety Net #53.
For more information regarding Chemical Waste Disposal, see Safety Net #8.
For information on chemical spills see Safety Net #13 "Guidelines for Chemical Spill Control."

Non-hazardous Animal Carcass Disposal

Place carcasses in the freezer in room 425 at 1515 Newton Ct. for pick up.
Complete the information in the sign-in log on the table on the east wall of room 425.

Biohazardous Animal Carcass Disposal

Place carcasses in a red biohazard bag in a designated carcass disposal freezer at an approved pick up location.
Call Stericycle to pick up carcasses in the freezer. Make sure they give and give you a manifest document.
Give a copy of the manifest document to the CNS Safety Manager.

Radioactive Waste

Liquid Scintillation Vials:

Submit liquid scintillation vials on a separate “Radiological Waste Disposal Request Form.”
EH&S will call the lab to schedule pick up of the liquid scintillation vials.

Submit all other radioactive waste pick up requests to EH&S online: http://safetyapps.ucdavis.edu/EHS/RadForms/radwaste.cfm
For more information, see Safety Net #9

Recyclable Items

Batteries: Place small batteries in an R-4 desktop battery bin and mail to R-4. To obtain desktop battery bins, contact R-4: (530) 752-7456.
Recycle larger dry-cell batteries and lead acid batteries by submitting them to EH&S on the designated pick up day (see above).
Bottles/cans/paper: Place bottles, cans and paper in the appropriate recycle containers.
Pallets: Stack pallets near the trash dumpster

Waste Minimization

Practice good housekeeping techniques in your laboratory.
Develop a centralized chemical purchasing, inventory, tracking and storage system.
Purchase and use the smallest quantity of chemical needed and rotate chemical stock to prevent chemicals from becoming too old to use.
Use the campus Chemical Recycling Bulletin Board to find another user for any unwanted, usable chemicals instead of labeling and disposing of them as hazardous waste.
Use chemicals in small volumes.
Examine laboratory procedures and substitute less-hazardous or recyclable chemicals whenever possible.
Incorporate processes for hazardous waste minimization into existing experimental protocols to reduce final volumes of chemical wastes. Neutralize or detoxify intermediates and byproducts during the experimental process. Treat or destroy hazardous products as the last step in experiments.
Reuse and/or recycle spent solvents and recover metal from spent catalyst.
Segregate hazardous waste from non-hazardous waste.
Segregate incompatible waste streams.
Clearly mark/label contents of all hazardous waste containers

General Work Practices

Store hazardous wastes in a suitable container in good condition.
Keep the container sealed when you are not actively putting waste in it.
Keep the hazardous waste container in a secondary container.
Segregate all wastes by compatibility to prevent a chemical reaction (i.e. acids with acids, bases with bases).
Maintain hazardous wastes in a secure area.
Limit access of hazardous waste to those who are properly trained.
The penalty for improper waste disposal (i.e. pouring hazardous waste down the drain) is fine/imprisonment.
Wastes that are not hazardous should be labeled as “non-hazardous waste” or “trash.” Do not label non-hazardous waste as “waste.”
DO NOT pick up broken glass with your hands, if possible. Wear cut-resistance gloves and use a broom. Collect broken glass as carefully and completely as possible.
Store medical waste in the lab in a red bag in a labeled (biohazard), rigid, leak-proof secondary container with tight closing lid.
Dispose of red biohazard bags within seven days of initial use.
Clean biohazard containers monthly or immediately if a leak occurs using a 10% bleach solution with a ten minute contact time or a quaternary ammonium solution with a 3 minute contact time.
Clean up spills immediately.

For more information see the “Center for Neuroscience Medical Waste Management Plan” and the “Newton Ct. Complex Chemical, Radiological and Biological Waste Policies and Procedures, October 2008 ”.