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DEQ.utah.gov -Utah Department of Environmental Quality

The Official Web site of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality

Chemical Cleanout Toolkit
for Utah Schools

Custodial

How to Secure and Hold for a Hazardous Waste Collection

Adapted from http://www.purdue.edu/dp/envirosoft/housewaste/src/hold.htm (c) (opens in a new window)
Source: Missouri Household Hazardous Waste Telephone Advice Manual, April 1994, Household Hazardous Waste Project

Some types and quantities of school hazardous products have no proper disposal options available and must be saved for a hazardous waste collection. In order to protect health and environment, safe and proper storage of hazardous waste is vital.

A word of caution: This management option may cause harm to human health and the environment if the described procedures are not followed carefully!

Materials Needed

The following materials are needed if the product container is in a rusting metal or a breakable container:

Procedures

  1. Protect the product's label. Store substances in their original containers. If an item is not in its original container, clearly label the current container with the product's name, the date, and the words DANGER and DO NOT OPEN. If the item is an unknown substance, clearly label the container with the current date and the words UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE, DANGER and DO NOT OPEN.
  2. If the product is in a rusting metal or a breakable container, this container should be placed within a larger, plastic container with a tight-fining lid.
  3. A nonflammable absorbent, such as clay-based cat box filler, should be packed around the product container to absorb any possible leaks.
  4. Clearly label the outside container with the contents and date. Write the words DANGER and DO NOT OPEN on the outside container.
  5. If the product is flammable, store it away from all sources of heat, spark, flame, or ignition. Remember these sources include water heaters, electrical appliances, light switches, electric garage door openers, pilot lights, engines and motors.
  6. Store the container out of the reach of children and animals in a separate locked cabinet or other secure structure.

General Guidelines (http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/92br16.pdf PDF file) (opens in a new window)

What is a “Lab Pack”? (Source: http://hazard.com/library/artist_waste) (oepns in a new window)

Many companies, because of the high costs of insuring the transportation vehicles, have set up special services, such as lab packs, that are very helpful in areas such as museum conservation laboratories, where there may be a great variety of chemicals, but the quantities that actually accumulate may be small.  Smaller containers of similar and compatible materials can be placed in larger DOT-approved containers (e.g. a steel or fiber drum), provided that there are enough cushioning and absorbent material (e.g. vermiculite) surrounding each container.  A chemical inventory is made as the containers are added to the drum.  When the drum is full, it is sealed and shipped to the disposal facility, for processing, along with a copy of the inventory sheet.   This system is called a lab pack, and is particularly useful when actual quantities of hazardous wastes generated are small.  Lab packs are often put together at the time of shipment of hazardous waste.  A lab pack must contain compatible wastes, even though the individual identity may vary.

Disadvantages of lab packing include the fact that actual disposal is expensive since adsorbents make up the majority of the material disposed. When the inner containers are not full, actual space in the drum is wasted.  Advantages include the fact that lab packs are generally safe, and simple, in that there is little chance of personnel exposure from transferring wastes or of hazardous mixing of incompatibles.

Sometimes a facility may not accept a lab pack or consolidated waste drum if certain wastes included are not allowed under their permits.  For example, the inclusion of wastes containing mercury in a container of other wastes could prevent incineration of the entire waste stream in the container, thus making it impossible to dispose of the waste.  Also, the improper mixing of solvents, might prevent certain reclamation, reuse, or land disposal of the material. 

Waste Testing to Identify Presence of Hazardous Materials

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides instructions for testing solutions and solids to determine the content of hazardous compounds, at http://www.epa.gov/sw-846/pdfs/1311.pdf PDF file(opens in a new window).  These procedures may be used as a science lesson, and assist with waste disposal from art classrooms or other school sectors as well.

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