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Chemical Waste

Hazardous chemical waste may be generated from laboratory operations, facilities operations and maintenance, construction and renovation activities, photo processing, and a variety of other activities at the Institute.


Chemical Waste Collection Form

Hazardous chemical waste may be generated from laboratory operations, facilities operations, maintenance, construction and renovation work, shops and clubs, and other activities at the Institute.

What makes chemical waste hazardous? Anything that would hurt people, wildlife and the environment if thrown away in the normal trash or discharged into our water or air.

The information presented below is intended to be a summary, so please refer to the Hazardous Waste Management and Hazardous Waste Disposal Standard Operating Procedures available at ‘Forms and SOPs’ section of the website.  Always reach out to MIT EHS at 617-452-3477 for guidance.

Common Hazardous Wastes

Common hazardous wastes generated at the Institute include:

  • Used solvents, acids, bases and other laboratory reagents.  Most used laboratory reagents must be collected as hazardous waste.
  • Waste oils and lubricants generated by a variety of operations including motor vehicles, elevators, plant maintenance, lab equipment, etc.
  • Unused chemicals such as laboratory reagents, paints and aerosol cans that are no longer needed or unusable.
  • PCBs, lead paint, contaminated rags and wipes, and broken mercury-containing lamps (i.e. fluorescent lamps).

The Environmental Management Program (EMP) is responsible for assisting Institute personnel with hazardous waste management procedures including disposal. EMP is available to assist with waste identification and storage issues.

Determining if a Chemical Waste is a Hazardous Waste

The more complicated explanation of what makes a waste hazardous is based on two factors:

  1. Some waste chemicals are listed by the EPA  or Department of Environmental Protection as dangerous and therefore must be collected and disposed of as hazardous,
  2. Some waste meet one of four characteristics that qualify them as hazardous

Listed Hazardous Wastes:

You can see/sort/search these lists here: Listed Wastes

Tip: search for chemical names Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers.  Always contact EHS with any questions.

Characteristic Hazardous Wastes

There are four characteristics which a chemical waste could exhibit which would trigger management as hazardous waste:

Overview of Regulatory Requirements

The following is applicable to most generators of hazardous waste.

Labeling

Hazardous waste containers must be properly and clearly labeled.

Labels must include:

  • The words “Hazardous Waste”
  • The container contents (e.g. “Waste Oil, Ethanol, Acetone, etc.”):
    • Full English words only
    • No formulas or abbreviations
    • No trade names (ex: WD40 should be labeled ‘petroleum hydrocarbons’)
  • The hazards associated with the waste (check the boxes for ‘ignitable’, ‘corrosive’, ‘reactive’, and/or ‘toxic’ whichever apply)
  • The approximate percentages (%) for mixtures, if possible, should be provided
  • Bldg/Room#, Generator, PI
  • The date the container became full (the date no more waste will be placed inside)

EMP provides Hazardous Waste (HW) labels (red tags), however other labels might be used with EMP approval.

Accumulation and Storage

Hazardous waste regulations establish a two-tiered waste accumulation and storage system:

Disposal

When a hazardous chemical waste container becomes full, it is dated and then brought to the Main Accumulation Area (MAA) area in one of two ways:

  • In most areas, a hazardous waste pickup request is submitted on-line, and EHS removes the full, dated container from the SAA.
  • Some hazardous waste generators have access to their own Main Accumulation Area, and can transport full, dated containers themselves.

A full, dated container must be removed from the SAA within 3 days, so pickup requests and waste transfers must happen immediately upon a container becoming full.

Emergency Preparedness & Prevention

MIT maintains a Hazardous Waste Contingency Plan and has implemented preparedness and prevention procedures to minimize the threat of spills or fires involving hazardous waste and to facilitate effective response to emergency situations that do arise.

To ensure your own safety and the safety of those around you:

  • Be aware of the dangers associated with each hazardous waste stream you generate and know the locations of spill control equipment available in your area.
  • Familiarize yourself with your site-specific emergency response and evacuation plan.
  • Review spill kit information and ensure you have one on hand.

Training

Anyone involved in the generation or management of hazardous waste must complete a training program prescribed by the Institute at least once every 12 months.

Inspections

Regulations require that hazardous waste areas (SAA and storage areas) be inspected on a weekly basis.

Personnel managing satellite accumulation areas are responsible for conducting their area’s inspection. EMP conducts the weekly inspection of all less than 90-day storage areas.

Management of Specific Hazardous Waste Streams

This section outlines management regulations for the following waste streams:

Hazardous chemical waste may be generated from laboratory operations, facilities operations, maintenance, construction and renovation work, shops and clubs, and other activities at the Institute.

What makes chemical waste hazardous? Anything that would hurt people, wildlife and the environment if thrown away in the normal trash or discharged into our water or air.

The information presented below is intended to be a summary, so please refer to the Hazardous Waste Management and Hazardous Waste Disposal Standard Operating Procedures available at ‘Forms and SOPs’ section of the website.  Always reach out to MIT EHS at 617-452-3477 for guidance.

Common Hazardous Wastes

Common hazardous wastes generated at the Institute include:

  • Used solvents, acids, bases and other laboratory reagents.  Most used laboratory reagents must be collected as hazardous waste.
  • Waste oils and lubricants generated by a variety of operations including motor vehicles, elevators, plant maintenance, lab equipment, etc.
  • Unused chemicals such as laboratory reagents, paints and aerosol cans that are no longer needed or unusable.
  • PCBs, lead paint, contaminated rags and wipes, and broken mercury-containing lamps (i.e. fluorescent lamps).

The Environmental Management Program (EMP) is responsible for assisting Institute personnel with hazardous waste management procedures including disposal. EMP is available to assist with waste identification and storage issues.

Determining if a Chemical Waste is a Hazardous Waste

The more complicated explanation of what makes a waste hazardous is based on two factors:

  1. Some waste chemicals are listed by the EPA  or Department of Environmental Protection as dangerous and therefore must be collected and disposed of as hazardous,
  2. Some waste meet one of four characteristics that qualify them as hazardous

Listed Hazardous Wastes:

You can see/sort/search these lists here: Listed Wastes

Tip: search for chemical names Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers.  Always contact EHS with any questions.

Characteristic Hazardous Wastes

There are four characteristics which a chemical waste could exhibit which would trigger management as hazardous waste:

Overview of Regulatory Requirements

The following is applicable to most generators of hazardous waste.

Labeling

Hazardous waste containers must be properly and clearly labeled.

Labels must include:

  • The words “Hazardous Waste”
  • The container contents (e.g. “Waste Oil, Ethanol, Acetone, etc.”):
    • Full English words only
    • No formulas or abbreviations
    • No trade names (ex: WD40 should be labeled ‘petroleum hydrocarbons’)
  • The hazards associated with the waste (check the boxes for ‘ignitable’, ‘corrosive’, ‘reactive’, and/or ‘toxic’ whichever apply)
  • The approximate percentages (%) for mixtures, if possible, should be provided
  • Bldg/Room#, Generator, PI
  • The date the container became full (the date no more waste will be placed inside)

EMP provides Hazardous Waste (HW) labels (red tags), however other labels might be used with EMP approval.

Accumulation and Storage

Hazardous waste regulations establish a two-tiered waste accumulation and storage system:

Disposal

When a hazardous chemical waste container becomes full, it is dated and then brought to the Main Accumulation Area (MAA) area in one of two ways:

  • In most areas, a hazardous waste pickup request is submitted on-line, and EHS removes the full, dated container from the SAA.
  • Some hazardous waste generators have access to their own Main Accumulation Area, and can transport full, dated containers themselves.

A full, dated container must be removed from the SAA within 3 days, so pickup requests and waste transfers must happen immediately upon a container becoming full.

Emergency Preparedness & Prevention

MIT maintains a Hazardous Waste Contingency Plan and has implemented preparedness and prevention procedures to minimize the threat of spills or fires involving hazardous waste and to facilitate effective response to emergency situations that do arise.

To ensure your own safety and the safety of those around you:

  • Be aware of the dangers associated with each hazardous waste stream you generate and know the locations of spill control equipment available in your area.
  • Familiarize yourself with your site-specific emergency response and evacuation plan.
  • Review spill kit information and ensure you have one on hand.

Training

Anyone involved in the generation or management of hazardous waste must complete a training program prescribed by the Institute at least once every 12 months.

Inspections

Regulations require that hazardous waste areas (SAA and storage areas) be inspected on a weekly basis.

Personnel managing satellite accumulation areas are responsible for conducting their area’s inspection. EMP conducts the weekly inspection of all less than 90-day storage areas.

Management of Specific Hazardous Waste Streams

This section outlines management regulations for the following waste streams: