The disposal of chemicals from science laboratories in the United States and its territories is regulated by federal, state, and local agencies. At the federal level, it is the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA maintains 10
Regional Offices that service the United States and its territories. Your EPA Regional Office's Web site has links to your state, territorial, or tribal environmental agencies. We recommend that your school district appoint a coordinator to serve as a local advisor assisting with the disposal process if it has not already done so.
Other useful resources include your state science supervisor, state science teacher association, local college and university environmental health and safety specialists, and the Laboratory Safety Workshop. The American Chemical Society publishes an excellent guidebook,
Laboratory Waste Management, A Guidebook (1994).
Use the following general guidelines for storing and disposing of chemical wastes:
- Store chemical wastes in properly labeled containers.
- Record the identity and the quantity of the waste added on the container's label. Unidentified waste costs more to dispose of.
- Isolate and store waste containers in accordance with the hazards associated with their contents.
- Ensure that waste containers are opened only to add or transfer waste and are closed at all other times.
- Do not combine incompatible materials in waste containers.
- Move full waste containers out of the lab and into your waste storage area within 3 days.
- Ensure that a licensed vendor removes the containers from your waste storage area at appropriate intervals. The lowest possible costs are achieved by following the waste segregation pattern recommended by your waste removal vendor.
With the public's ever-increasing concern about protecting the environment and the need for schools to serve as model global citizens, school laboratories must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations. These guidelines are general; federal, state, and local regulations always take precedence.
