Biological waste includes any liquid, solid, or sharp material that has come in contact with viable biological material (including recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acids).
To prevent exposure of the public and contamination of the environment, all biological waste generated at MIT must be appropriately disinfected prior to final disposal (Massachusetts Department of Public Health State Sanitary Code Chapter VIII: 105 CMR 480.000).
Researchers are responsible for all waste they generate from the moment they generate it until the moment it is inactivated. Here we provide guidance on how you should handle your waste depending on its type.
Liquid waste include cultures, supernatants, media, or any liquids that contain or have come in contact with viable biological material.
To treat liquid waste, you need to use the appropriate chemical disinfectant at the right concentration and allow contact with disinfectant for a specific amount of time before disposal.
Perform disinfection in a fume hood or biosafety cabinet for liquids containing a pathogen or that are contaminated with an unknown microorganism. Bleach and Wescodyne are two examples potential disinfectants you can use to handle liquid waste.
Disposal
- Add disinfectant to appropriate concentration and wait appropriate contact time
- Pour inactivate liquid down sink drain and flush with water
- Liquids should never be placed in the biowaste box
- For disposal of small amounts of residual liquid in tubes, please see the solid waste section below
Examples of Disinfectants:
Bleach
- When using concentrated household bleach (5.25% or greater sodium hypochlorite concentration), the final concentration should be 10% (v/v) to acheive an effective chlorine concentration of at least 5000 ppm
- Contact time must be at least 20 minutes
- We recommend Clorox germicidal bleach available in the VWR stockroom (eCat #89501-620)
Wescodyne
- When using concentrated Wescodyne, the final concentration must be 1-1.6% to acheive an effective free iodine concentration of 125 ppm
- Higher concentrations of Wescodyne decreases effectiveness as the free iodine self-binds (dimerizes)
- Contact time must be at least 20 minutes
More about Decontamination and Disinfection
Proper Setup for Vacuum Flask Aspiration
Vacuum flask aspiration is used to remove liquids from samples.
- A properly set up aspiration flask includes a primary collection flask, a secondary or spill-over collection flask, and a hydrophobic/HEPA filter to protect house vacuum lines or vacuum pumps from droplet contamination
- An appropriate volume of disinfectant should be added to the primary flask to disinfect the final volume of liquid (usually 1:10 (v/v) dilution of household bleach)
- Refresh bleach weekly to ensure disinfecting effectiveness
- Primary flasks must be emptied before liquid enters the secondary/spill over flask
- Place a hydrophobic or HEPA filter before the vacuum line, making sure the writing on the filter faces the overflow flask — hydrophobic filters are available through VWR (Item# 55095-006, 28137-858, or 28137-737)
- Filters only capture small droplets and will become saturated if flasks are not emptied – this leads to contamination of house vacuum lines and is very expensive to decontaminate
- If the flasks are on the floor, place them in a secondary container such as a plastic bin to contain any spills if knocked over
- Place a biohazard sticker on the primary collection flask or the secondary container
Mixed liquid biological waste is liquid biological waste that also contains hazardous chemicals or radioactive material.
Mixed Biological and Chemical Hazardous Waste
- Inactivate the biological component with a disinfectant that will not react with the chemicals —when in doubt, contact EHS for guidance
- Send the inactivate solution out as chemical hazardous waste
Mixed Biological and Radioactive Hazardous Waste
- Inactivate the biological component with household bleach
- Handle inactivated solution as radioactive liquid waste
Biological Waste From Commercial Kits
- Examples of kits include nucleic acid extraction kits from environmental samples (Qiagen, MoBio, etc.), plasmid and genomic DNA prep kits (Qiagen mini/midi/maxiprep kits), and others
- Most kit waste cannot be disposed of in the sink and must be sent out as hazardous chemical waste due to hazardous chemicals in the lysis buffer (guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine chloride, etc.) and the high alcohol content of the wash buffers (~70-90% alcohol concentration)
- Kits that already inactivate biological components (i.e. through lysis, chemical inactivation, or other means) do not need an additional chemical inactivation step and can be sent out directly as hazardous chemical waste
- Kit waste must never be bleached since certain chemicals in common lysis buffers react with bleach
Solid biological waste includes non-liquid, non-sharp items that have been used with or come in contact with biological material. Examples include plastic plates, petri dishes, paper towels, gloves, pipette tips, plastic serological pipettes, and others.
Collect solid biological waste using an appropriate container as listed below:
Benchtop biowaste transfer container:
- Solid waste can be placed in the plastic benchtop biowaste transfer containers
- Remember to empty contents into a biowaste box at the end of each day
- EHS can supply benchtop biowaste transfer containers at no cost to the lab
Biowaste stepcan
- Stepcans can be opened using the footpedal and solid waste disposed in the plastic bags lining the stepcan
- When the bags are full, tie them tightly and dispose directly into a biowaste box
- Remember to replace the plastic liner so new solid waste can be added without contaminating the interior of the step can
- EHS can supply step cans and liners at no cost to the lab
Biowaste box
- Solid waste can be disposed directly in a biowaste box
- When boxes are approximately ¾ full, either move the box to your collection area if your lab receives regularly scheduled pickup, or scheduling a Biological Waste Pickup using the online form on Atlas (see below)
Biowaste boxes are shipped off-site by a commercial vendor (Stericycle) for proper decontamination and disposal. EHS will provide fresh biowaste boxes, and your EHS Representative can help you determine which method your lab uses.
- Gloves used in a biological lab may not be disposed of in the regular trash and must be disposed of as biohazardous waste regardless of whether they were used with biological material
- Liquids must not be disposed in the biowaste boxes, because if the inner bags leak and the outer box gets wet, Stericycle will not pick it up and your lab will be responsible for decontaminating the box, separating the biological waste, and repacking everything it into new biowaste boxes
- Residual liquids in a sealable container (5-10 ul or less) can be capped tightly and disposed of in the biowaste boxes
- Plates with residual liquid (less than 10-20 ul per well) can be taped closed, placed in a Ziploc bag with absorbent material (paper towels) and disposed of in the biowaste box
- For labs needing to dispose of multiple tubes of liquids less than 1 ml, these can be capped tightly, placed in a sealable plastic bag (such as a Ziploc) with sufficient absorbent material (typically paper towels) to absorb the total volume of liquid contained in the tubes
- Anything that can easily puncture the outer box (such as razor blades, needles, glass pipettes, etc.) must go in a biosharps or puncture proof container; see the Sharps Waste section below
- Animal carcasses and animal tissue cannot go in most biowaste boxes due to state regulations
- Animal carcasses and tissue originating in the Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) must be returned to DCM for proper disposal:
- Please contact the DCM animal resource managers at 617-253-9434 for guidance or assistance
- Contact the Biosafety Program (bsp@mit.edu) for guidance on all other animal carcasses or animal tissues
- Intact human tissue (including organs and bone) must be placed into designated “incinerate-only” biowaste boxes which are completely incinerated; contact bsp@mit.edu for arrangements
- Contact bsp@mit.edu for guidance on handling mixed hazardous chemical/biological solid waste and mixed radioactive/biological solid waste
Mixed solid biological waste is solid biological waste that also contains hazardous chemicals or radioactive material. Contact bsp@mit.edu for guidance on disposing mixed solid waste.
EHS provides the following supplies at no additional cost to the lab:
- Bench-top waste transfer containers
- Biohazard step cans and step can liners
- Biowaste boxes with coasters and lids
- Biosharps containers
These can be requested in the comments section of the Biological Waste Pickup Form.
Sharp waste is anything that can puncture the skin that has been used with or come into contact with biological material including needles and syringes, razor blades, glass slides, glass vials, etc.
Collection of Sharp Waste
- All biologically contaminated sharps should be collected in a puncture-resistant sharps container labeled with a biohazard sticker
- When full, tightly seal the sharps container and dispose directly into a biowaste box
- For broken glass too large for a standard bench-top sharps’ container (e.g. a broken 1 L flask), collect in a standard cardboard box, tape flaps shut, and placed directly into a biowaste box for disposal
- Biosharps containers can be requested by registered biological labs via the comments section of the Biological Waste Pickup Form below
Labs that wish to routinely use an autoclave to sterilized solid or liquid biological waste must have prior approval from The Committee on Assessment of Biohazards and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (CAB/ESCRO).
Only designated autoclaves can be used to decontaminate biological waste.
Please contact bsp@mit.edu for more information.
EHS Biowaste Pick-Up Application
You may request collection of your full biological waste containers (biowaste box) or to order biological waste supplies using the online application. EHS will respond to your online requests within two business days.
Request biological waste pickup
If you have questions or issues with submitting your application, please contact the EHS office:
617-452-3477
Monday — Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
environment@mit.edu
Biological waste includes any liquid, solid, or sharp material that has come in contact with viable biological material (including recombinant DNA or synthetic nucleic acids).
To prevent exposure of the public and contamination of the environment, all biological waste generated at MIT must be appropriately disinfected prior to final disposal (Massachusetts Department of Public Health State Sanitary Code Chapter VIII: 105 CMR 480.000).
Researchers are responsible for all waste they generate from the moment they generate it until the moment it is inactivated. Here we provide guidance on how you should handle your waste depending on its type.
Liquid waste include cultures, supernatants, media, or any liquids that contain or have come in contact with viable biological material.
To treat liquid waste, you need to use the appropriate chemical disinfectant at the right concentration and allow contact with disinfectant for a specific amount of time before disposal.
Perform disinfection in a fume hood or biosafety cabinet for liquids containing a pathogen or that are contaminated with an unknown microorganism. Bleach and Wescodyne are two examples potential disinfectants you can use to handle liquid waste.
Disposal
- Add disinfectant to appropriate concentration and wait appropriate contact time
- Pour inactivate liquid down sink drain and flush with water
- Liquids should never be placed in the biowaste box
- For disposal of small amounts of residual liquid in tubes, please see the solid waste section below
Examples of Disinfectants:
Bleach
- When using concentrated household bleach (5.25% or greater sodium hypochlorite concentration), the final concentration should be 10% (v/v) to acheive an effective chlorine concentration of at least 5000 ppm
- Contact time must be at least 20 minutes
- We recommend Clorox germicidal bleach available in the VWR stockroom (eCat #89501-620)
Wescodyne
- When using concentrated Wescodyne, the final concentration must be 1-1.6% to acheive an effective free iodine concentration of 125 ppm
- Higher concentrations of Wescodyne decreases effectiveness as the free iodine self-binds (dimerizes)
- Contact time must be at least 20 minutes
More about Decontamination and Disinfection
Proper Setup for Vacuum Flask Aspiration
Vacuum flask aspiration is used to remove liquids from samples.
- A properly set up aspiration flask includes a primary collection flask, a secondary or spill-over collection flask, and a hydrophobic/HEPA filter to protect house vacuum lines or vacuum pumps from droplet contamination
- An appropriate volume of disinfectant should be added to the primary flask to disinfect the final volume of liquid (usually 1:10 (v/v) dilution of household bleach)
- Refresh bleach weekly to ensure disinfecting effectiveness
- Primary flasks must be emptied before liquid enters the secondary/spill over flask
- Place a hydrophobic or HEPA filter before the vacuum line, making sure the writing on the filter faces the overflow flask — hydrophobic filters are available through VWR (Item# 55095-006, 28137-858, or 28137-737)
- Filters only capture small droplets and will become saturated if flasks are not emptied – this leads to contamination of house vacuum lines and is very expensive to decontaminate
- If the flasks are on the floor, place them in a secondary container such as a plastic bin to contain any spills if knocked over
- Place a biohazard sticker on the primary collection flask or the secondary container
Mixed liquid biological waste is liquid biological waste that also contains hazardous chemicals or radioactive material.
Mixed Biological and Chemical Hazardous Waste
- Inactivate the biological component with a disinfectant that will not react with the chemicals —when in doubt, contact EHS for guidance
- Send the inactivate solution out as chemical hazardous waste
Mixed Biological and Radioactive Hazardous Waste
- Inactivate the biological component with household bleach
- Handle inactivated solution as radioactive liquid waste
Biological Waste From Commercial Kits
- Examples of kits include nucleic acid extraction kits from environmental samples (Qiagen, MoBio, etc.), plasmid and genomic DNA prep kits (Qiagen mini/midi/maxiprep kits), and others
- Most kit waste cannot be disposed of in the sink and must be sent out as hazardous chemical waste due to hazardous chemicals in the lysis buffer (guanidine thiocyanate, guanidine chloride, etc.) and the high alcohol content of the wash buffers (~70-90% alcohol concentration)
- Kits that already inactivate biological components (i.e. through lysis, chemical inactivation, or other means) do not need an additional chemical inactivation step and can be sent out directly as hazardous chemical waste
- Kit waste must never be bleached since certain chemicals in common lysis buffers react with bleach
Solid biological waste includes non-liquid, non-sharp items that have been used with or come in contact with biological material. Examples include plastic plates, petri dishes, paper towels, gloves, pipette tips, plastic serological pipettes, and others.
Collect solid biological waste using an appropriate container as listed below:
Benchtop biowaste transfer container:
- Solid waste can be placed in the plastic benchtop biowaste transfer containers
- Remember to empty contents into a biowaste box at the end of each day
- EHS can supply benchtop biowaste transfer containers at no cost to the lab
Biowaste stepcan
- Stepcans can be opened using the footpedal and solid waste disposed in the plastic bags lining the stepcan
- When the bags are full, tie them tightly and dispose directly into a biowaste box
- Remember to replace the plastic liner so new solid waste can be added without contaminating the interior of the step can
- EHS can supply step cans and liners at no cost to the lab
Biowaste box
- Solid waste can be disposed directly in a biowaste box
- When boxes are approximately ¾ full, either move the box to your collection area if your lab receives regularly scheduled pickup, or scheduling a Biological Waste Pickup using the online form on Atlas (see below)
Biowaste boxes are shipped off-site by a commercial vendor (Stericycle) for proper decontamination and disposal. EHS will provide fresh biowaste boxes, and your EHS Representative can help you determine which method your lab uses.
- Gloves used in a biological lab may not be disposed of in the regular trash and must be disposed of as biohazardous waste regardless of whether they were used with biological material
- Liquids must not be disposed in the biowaste boxes, because if the inner bags leak and the outer box gets wet, Stericycle will not pick it up and your lab will be responsible for decontaminating the box, separating the biological waste, and repacking everything it into new biowaste boxes
- Residual liquids in a sealable container (5-10 ul or less) can be capped tightly and disposed of in the biowaste boxes
- Plates with residual liquid (less than 10-20 ul per well) can be taped closed, placed in a Ziploc bag with absorbent material (paper towels) and disposed of in the biowaste box
- For labs needing to dispose of multiple tubes of liquids less than 1 ml, these can be capped tightly, placed in a sealable plastic bag (such as a Ziploc) with sufficient absorbent material (typically paper towels) to absorb the total volume of liquid contained in the tubes
- Anything that can easily puncture the outer box (such as razor blades, needles, glass pipettes, etc.) must go in a biosharps or puncture proof container; see the Sharps Waste section below
- Animal carcasses and animal tissue cannot go in most biowaste boxes due to state regulations
- Animal carcasses and tissue originating in the Division of Comparative Medicine (DCM) must be returned to DCM for proper disposal:
- Please contact the DCM animal resource managers at 617-253-9434 for guidance or assistance
- Contact the Biosafety Program (bsp@mit.edu) for guidance on all other animal carcasses or animal tissues
- Intact human tissue (including organs and bone) must be placed into designated “incinerate-only” biowaste boxes which are completely incinerated; contact bsp@mit.edu for arrangements
- Contact bsp@mit.edu for guidance on handling mixed hazardous chemical/biological solid waste and mixed radioactive/biological solid waste
Mixed solid biological waste is solid biological waste that also contains hazardous chemicals or radioactive material. Contact bsp@mit.edu for guidance on disposing mixed solid waste.
EHS provides the following supplies at no additional cost to the lab:
- Bench-top waste transfer containers
- Biohazard step cans and step can liners
- Biowaste boxes with coasters and lids
- Biosharps containers
These can be requested in the comments section of the Biological Waste Pickup Form.
Sharp waste is anything that can puncture the skin that has been used with or come into contact with biological material including needles and syringes, razor blades, glass slides, glass vials, etc.
Collection of Sharp Waste
- All biologically contaminated sharps should be collected in a puncture-resistant sharps container labeled with a biohazard sticker
- When full, tightly seal the sharps container and dispose directly into a biowaste box
- For broken glass too large for a standard bench-top sharps’ container (e.g. a broken 1 L flask), collect in a standard cardboard box, tape flaps shut, and placed directly into a biowaste box for disposal
- Biosharps containers can be requested by registered biological labs via the comments section of the Biological Waste Pickup Form below
Labs that wish to routinely use an autoclave to sterilized solid or liquid biological waste must have prior approval from The Committee on Assessment of Biohazards and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (CAB/ESCRO).
Only designated autoclaves can be used to decontaminate biological waste.
Please contact bsp@mit.edu for more information.
EHS Biowaste Pick-Up Application
You may request collection of your full biological waste containers (biowaste box) or to order biological waste supplies using the online application. EHS will respond to your online requests within two business days.
Request biological waste pickup
If you have questions or issues with submitting your application, please contact the EHS office:
617-452-3477
Monday — Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
environment@mit.edu
