Overview of Proper Hazardous Laboratory Waste Disposal

Environment Services

 Three types of hazardous waste are frequent in laboratories and need to be disposed of properly, whether they are from routine medical testing and procedures or scientific study and experimentation. These wastes are pathological, infectious, and chemical. Before moving on to a more general discussion of the important factors to take into account for correct waste disposal in a laboratory, let's examine each of these waste types:


Chemical waste from laboratories

It is necessary to examine chemical waste from analyzers, calibrators, cleansers, reagents, stains, and test kits to see if they need to be disposed of as hazardous waste under RCRA guidelines. Even at extremely low concentrations, the components, pollutants, and preservatives included in these wastes may be regarded as RCRA hazardous materials.

Recall that product inserts frequently exclude information concerning trace levels of pollutants and preservatives that may necessitate hazardous waste treatment, as mandated by the EPA (or state-specific lethality laws). To ensure that, despite your best efforts, you are not in violation of the EPA, you must obtain professional guidance regarding your laboratory waste disposal. Chemical waste in a laboratory could look like this:

  • Fixatives (Zenker's and B-5, for example)
  • Clintest pills, both used and unopened
  • Parrafin/xylene
  • Wright's stain, both used and unopened
  • Hemocue Hgb cuvettes type R

Infectious waste from laboratories

In the medical field, infectious wastes are often referred to as biohazardous wastes or "red bag waste." They include bulk bodily fluids, fluid blood, human-derived albumin, cultures, biological agents, live or attenuated vaccinations, and other infectious laboratory waste products. Hazardous waste management is necessary for the disposal of your laboratory waste if it consists of:
  • Anything that causes cancer, teratogenicity, or mutation
  • Anything (gloves, gauze, gowns, etc.) drenched in blood
  • Heavy metals and batteries from abandoned laboratory apparatus
  • Cultures of agents or infectious illnesses
  • Disposed of pills, antibiotics, vaccinations, and other medications
  • Solvents and disinfectants used in laboratories
  • Tissues from humans or animals
These materials are secured in one of three methods under the supervision of a laboratory waste disposal business that holds the necessary licenses:

Sealing with a vacuum: Approximately 90% of biohazardous garbage is burned using this technique. The substance is put in a special oven with high pressure and temperature to destroy it. Alternatively, it is burned in dedicated microwave ovens.
Chemical Sanitization: Once chemically cleaned, certain biohazardous wastes can be dumped in landfills just like any other type of garbage.
Compilation: This is how "sharps" are utilized. These are tainted objects, mainly needles, that can readily pierce standard waste containers and disperse infection. Sharps are "encapsulated" in containers that are resistant to punctures and stored separately from other waste in landfills.

General guidelines for properly disposing of garbage in a laboratory

When buying in bulk, exercise caution. Aim to avoid purchasing more than you require of any item that, whether old or unused, may be deemed dangerous when it comes time to dispose of it. If a product has to be thrown out when it expires, volume discounts don't benefit your wallet. This may sound like common sense, but keep in mind that supply-chain issues might make employees and management too cautious. They don't want to be caught off guard, so they overbuy. Use caution when rinsing. Rinsing solutions from slides, tanks, or equipment down the drain is seen as a disposal scenario. As a result, solutions need to be examined before being rinsed to dilute them. You might need to get in touch with your POTW to find out if it's OK, depending on what's discovered. Otherwise, you risk unintentionally committing an illegal hazardous waste discharge by not doing so.

Take caution when separating lab wastes. Sort trash into different containers according to their classification: sharps, pharmaceutical, chemical, pathological, and non-hazardous. To avoid overspending on medical waste removal, keep hazardous and non-hazardous trash separate. Use containers that have been approved for the specific type of trash. Examples include certified cardboard boxes, special tubs, and/or containers that are impervious to punctures.

Your ultimate goal should be the safe and lawful disposal of laboratory waste

With several years of unmatched knowledge, Trihaz Solutions assists hospitals, clinics, research facilities, and commercial laboratories in managing their many waste streams in a safe, economical, and law-abiding manner. Your account will be skillfully managed by our local customer and regulatory support teams, and our services are easily scalable, allowing them to expand as your business thrives.

Consult Trihaz Solutions Regarding:

  • Complete management of the waste stream for chemical, infectious, and pathological wastes, including those that are "listed" and "characteristic" under RCRA.
  • Pathological waste bins, lab packs, and single-use sharp containers are examples of scalable waste collection methods.
  • Services for lab decommissioning
  • Radiation, biological, and chemical cleanup

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