Procedures for Preparing Hazardous Waste Chemicals for Disposal
Off Campus Facilities

NOTE: In order to speed disposal procedures, Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) will gladly look at any waste inventory list BEFORE adhesive labels are placed on containers. Call Ed Kowalski or Harry Dilles at 607-255-8200 to request this service, or send a copy of the inventory to the EH&S Service Building (201 Palm Road, Ithaca, NY 14853) with a request that the inventory list be reviewed.

Disposal Procedures

1. Call Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), 607-255-8200, to request numbered, two-part (stick on) disposal stickers (5" x 4").
2. Complete the adhesive label; make sure all spaces are completely filled in (i.e., building & room, date, name, telephone number) and write the exact chemical ingredients for each container in the right-hand space under "Chemical Name" (trade names are not acceptable). In the left-hand space check off the appropriate type of chemical. Fill out the date when you have scheduled EH&S to come to your location to pickup the chemicals.
3. Make sure the green adhesive label is placed on each separate container of hazardous waste that is ready for disposal. Use only screw-top chemical glassware or plasticware for disposal. Do not use soda, milk, or glass-stoppered containers. Any waste bottle/container that emits a noxious smell or is cracked or damaged in any way must be placed in an overpack container or transferred to a new bottle/container.
4. Place all waste containers in a Department of Transportation (DOT)-approved cardboard box. Cardboard or foam must be placed between the bottles to prevent breakage during transport. Each box must be able to be safely carried by one person. Place only compatible chemicals in each box (i.e., flammables in one box, corrosives in another box, etc.).
5. Send the top copies of the request form to EH&S Service Building, 201 Palm Road, Ithaca, NY 14853. Please do not make routine pickup requests by telephone.

More Information about the Headings on the Chemical Disposal Request Form

Building and Room: Indicates the area where the hazardous waste is generated; directs EH&S personnel to the pickup.

Date: Both federal and state legislation stipulate 90 days as the length of time EH&S may possess the hazardous waste, subsequent to removing it from the individual laboratories and prior to final shipment to an approved disposal facility. Therefore, anyone completing the form should fill in the date on which EH&S was notified to pick up the chemicals, not the date on which the adhesive labels were placed on the individual bottles.

Requested By and Telephone Number: Identifies the individual faculty or staff member generating the hazardous waste and assuming responsibility for its description. This information is important if questions about the material subsequently arise.

Check Type: Identifies the general characteristics of the hazardous waste chemicals, and indicates which classes of waste should not be mixed together, in order to facilitate disposal procedures.

Chemical Name: Precisely identify the exact composition of the hazardous waste in each container. NOTE: For pesticides, the pesticide trade name and formulation is sufficient. Both federal and state legislation preclude the use of code numbers, trade names and initials in the transportation and disposal of hazardous waste. Hazardous waste consisting of multiple elements or compounds requires the identification of each constituent, and the percentage by volume it occupies in the container.

Quantity: Total number of boxes or bottles. This identifies the need for carts, carriers, etc. for large clean-outs.