1.

Low-hazard aqueous waste can be poured down the sink. Dilution to the sewer can be the most appropriate method for disposal of a wide range of materials, particularly organic. Advice can be sought from the Contaminated and Hazardous Waste Service as to whether disposal to drain is appropriate. Some chemicals are prohibited from entering the drainage system and some items are excluded by our trade effluent consent. Very-low-level radioactive aqueous waste must only be poured down designated sinks. The controls stipulated by the Environment Agency mean that radioisotope users are required to log details of such aqueous radioactive waste disposals on the individual radioisotope's track record.
Problems of disposal to drain experienced in the past include those associated with the poor state of repair of the drains in some buildings (the demolished 4W in particular). This is exacerbated with the cavalier use of water vacuum (Venturi) pumps to generate vacuums for filtration and rotary evaporation apparatus where materials which are highly volatile or have a strong stench are being used.
Acetone (used for a final rinse for clean lab glassware) must not be disposed of to drain. In 2003 there was an explosion in the drainage system here probably caused by acetone vapour.

2.

Aqueous "washings". Due to the recognised poor state of the drainage system in building 4W, aqueous residues from organic solvent extractions were segregated into green-labelled 2.5 litre Winchester bottles. The liquid was disposed to drain, but not in building 4W ( Building 4S was used).
The need for segregation of this waste stream has gone with the relocation of academic departments from 4W .

3.

Organic solvent waste is segregated into 'halogenated' (chlorinated) (yellow-labelled) and 'non-halogenated' (non-chlorinated) (red-labelled) bottles. The Service provides areas generating such hazardous wastes with labelled 2.5 litre glass Winchester bottles. Users should be aware that there is a potential problem when mixing incompatible solvent wastes (such as chloroform and acetone, ethers and ketones, isopropyl alcohol and ketones, nitro compounds and amines). The Service provides labelled bottles with special (vented) caps to release any gradual build-up of pressure. (Look here to see the remains of an exploding waste solvent bottle which didn't have a vented cap and here to see what a splinter of glass did to the window of the lab 10 metres away. The incident happened at night when no-one was in the way!). Contractors bulk the contents of these bottles into 205 litre metal drums, maintaining the segregation between halogenated and non-halogenated. The bottles are re-used for waste solvents. The contaminated solvents are currently sent for use as support fuels in cement kilns.
Acetone (used for a final rinse for clean lab glassware) must not be disposed of to drain. In 2003 there was an explosion in the drainage system here probably caused by acetone vapour.

4.

Radioactive solvent waste (used scintillation vials) is segregated in 60-litre disposable plastic sealable containers which are sent for incineration. The controls stipulated by the Environment Agency mean that users are required to log details of the contents of disposed vials using the radiochemical on-line management system. We have set an upper limit of radioactivity of 4MBq per container.

5.

Spent photographic chemicals (developer and fixer) should be segregated in 25 litre containers (available from the Service) and sent for silver reclamation and proper disposal via the Service.

6.

Waste oil from laboratories and workshops can be collected in suitable (e.g. 5 litre plastic) containers. These are then collected by the Service and decanted into the 205 litre oil drums situated at the rear of building 4 East. This is then taken for recycling. There is also a used oil tank in the students car maintenance area on the University's southern perimeter.

7.

General solid laboratory and workshop waste is essentially low hazard industrial waste and should be placed in "red label bins" (waste-bins with a red label stuck on them). This stream must not contain glass, 'sharps' or 'special waste' and must not be heavily contaminated with hazardous materials. It is likely to comprise items such as paper tissues, filter papers, rubber and plastic tubing, decontaminated plasticware from biological areas and general workshop wastes such as wood, metal and plastic dust and swarf. Some materials must not enter this waste stream. Dusty/powdery materials should be sealed in bags prior to disposal in the 'red label' bins. Very-low-level solid radioactive waste should be disposed via this route. The controls stipulated by the Environment Agency mean that radioisotope users are required to log details of the contents of disposed vials using the radiochemical on-line management system. The porters collect this waste and transfer it to the large industrial waste bins. These are emptied once a week and the contents sent for local landfill. Problems have been experienced in the past with the improper segregation of hazardous waste from this stream (such as hypodermic needles and loose powders).

8.

Higher-level solid radioactive waste is managed by the University's Radiological Protection Officer.

9.

Disposable and broken laboratory glassware is segregated into reusable containers (yellow 10 litre or blue 60 litre) supplied by the Service. These are collected by the Service for disposal as 'special waste' via incineration. This stream must not include iodine, hypodermic needles, sealed ampoules or vials of fluids, capped bottles, reusable/recyclable containers such as milk bottles, coffee jars and wine bottles or laboratory reagent bottles which should be washed, dried and segregated for recycling.

10.

Clean glass bottles should be segregated for recycling. Some laboratory reagent suppliers (such as Merck and Fisher) will take back empty 2.5 litre Winchester bottles. Please contact the Service for details. Most chemical bottles are made from soda glass (low melting temperature) and providing they are clean, have their caps removed and any hazard warning labels have been defaced or removed they can be sent for recycling. Borosilicate laboratory glassware (high melting temperature, e.g. 'Pyrex' and 'Rasotherm') must not be sent for recycling as it can cause very expensive damage to the glass kilns and should be disposed of as described in 9 above. Containers for recycling such bottles are situated in lab prep rooms and/or wash-up areas where these bottles are routinely encountered.

11.

Fluorescent light tubes, ordinary light bulbs and large incandescent lamp bulbs are collected by the Porterage service for recycling. (Fluorescent tubes contain mercury and thay are now classified as `special waste'.)

12.

'Sharps' must be discarded into approved Sharpsbins conforming to BS7320 and UN3291 standards. Such Sharpsbins are available from Central Stores (0.6 litre [code 3 82 2346], 5 litre [code 3 82 2352] and 10 litre [code 3 82 2369]). Sharps comprise items such as hypodermic needles (and attached disposable syringes if removal is inadvisable), small shards of broken glass, mercury-free glass from broken thermometers, scalpel blades and other small sharp items. As long as biological and/or chemical contamination can be rendered harmless, disposable glass Pasteur pipettes can be disposed of as waste glassware (see 8 above) and plastic pipettor tips can be disposed of in the general solid laboratory/workshop waste stream ('red label' as described in 6 above). Sharpsbins are treated as clinical waste no matter from where they originate. Prior to collection Sharpsbins must have their closures secured, should be autoclaved if a biological hazard is present and the tops secured with adhesive packaging tape. They are disposed of via incineration with residues going to landfill. (Guidance on the use of hypodermic needles in laboratories can be found in section 4 part 2.6 of the University Safety Manual.)

13.

Other Clinical waste (animal and human) is segregated in designated freezers for regular collection by a contractor selected by the Service. These streams are incinerated in a 'Waste to Energy' plant.

14.

Refrigerators and freezers are collected from laboratory areas by the Service. These are sent for destruction in approved premises. Units from the residential areas of campus are taken by the local Council waste disposal contractors.

15.

'Lab smalls' are bottles of chemicals, which are surplus to requirements. The Service deals these with twice a year. Disposal of these may be via incineration, landfill or neutralisation. Refer to this link to see more information on this scheme.

16.

'Special wastes' consist of any of the controlled wastes which contain substances or have characteristic properties specified in the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. The Environment Agency provide an interpretation of the definition and classification of hazardous waste as an aid to the identification of Hazardous Waste, however all you need to do is contact waste@lists.bath.ac.uk. We produce bulk hazardous waste (silica gel, sand contaminated with crude oil, heavy metal contaminated dry waste) in returnable 120 litre sealable plastic kegs. These are transported by contractors to a transfer station where the kegs are unpacked by hand (so illicit disposals may well be discovered) and the waste transferred to a large skip which is then taken and emptied into a landfill site. We also produce ethidium bromide contaminated waste, antibiotic waste, cytotoxic waste and sealed ampoules (separately segregated) which are contained in 30-litre yellow Medibins and these are sent for incineration. These bins are available from Central Stores (their code number 3 82 2381) and the labels for them can be downloaded from this link. Other Special wastes may be disposed of via incineration, landfill or neutralisation. 

17.

Asbestos-containing waste is managed by the Estates Department.

18.

Personal computers, monitors and associated hardware. These are collected on request and stored on campus. Please refer to this advice to avoid sensitive data being recovered after the removal of storage devices from Departments.