Hazardous Waste Disposal

Safety Instruction Number:

Last Update:

Mon, 07/20/2009

General

Hazardous waste generated at Oregon State University must be disposed of through a system managed by Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S).
The designation "hazardous" refers to any substance that is
- corrosive
- flammable
- reactive
- toxic
It does not refer to material that is only radioactive or biohazardous.
Hazardous waste disposal is funded for University units.
Departments are encouraged to employ waste reduction procedures to limit university costs.
If there are questions or unusual circumstances, please contact EH&S at 7-2273 for assistance.

Prior to disposal of any chemical waste, OSU must perform an official hazardous waste determination to see if the waste is hazardous. EH&S performs that service for the university community.
A short list of non-hazardous chemicals can be found on the EH&S web site; all others should be considered hazardous until the determination has been made.
Hazardous waste is incinerated, at off-site locations, whenever possible. Departments are encouraged to employ waste reduction procedures to limit costs. Use these guidelines to prepare and request disposal of hazardous chemical waste.

Collect each waste in a NON-LEAKING container; match size to amount of waste. Use containers chemicals were received in
Liquid containers must be less than 5 gallons and 45 pounds (about 3-4 gallons of typical halogenated solvent).
Reusable solvent waste containers are avaialble from EH&S.
All containers must have non-leaking, tight fitting lids that are not cracked, broken, or chemically damaged.
Paper or cardboard containers should be put into sealed plastic bags.
Containers should be labeled as soon as waste is put into them, and must be capped at all times when not actively adding waste.

Chemicals in original non-leaking containers with manufacturer's label will be accepted as is.
All other wastes require a hazardous waste label, available from EH&S, completed and attached to each waste container.
Do not cover existing labels or markings.
Solvent labels should be put onto string tags attached to containers. Tags are available from EH&S.
Fill out the LOWER part of the orange label with:
- Your name, building, room number, and department.
- Identification of contents, including total weight or volume and percent ranges for all constituents.

Get boxes for the waste before pickup
Do NOT pack materials in boxes.
Waste containers will be examined, and EH&S will then pack waste in boxes according to compatibility.
Boxes should be sealable and sturdy enough to transport the material.
Boxes exceeding 45 pounds or 18 inches on a side cannot be safely handled by one person, and will not be picked up.