Chemical Waste
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office is responsible for the collection of hazardous chemical waste for Texas Christian University (TCU), including all campus buildings and off-site locations. Except in instances of unknown or unstable peroxide forming chemicals, there are no departmental charges for hazardous chemical waste collection and disposal.
Chemical waste generators are required to adhere to certain protocols to maintain safe handling and disposal of chemical hazardous wastes, to include:
- Choice of appropriate containers
- Safe storage and management of containers
- Proper waste labeling of each container
- Timely requests for chemical waste pickup from EHS
What is “hazardous chemical waste”?
Hazardous chemical waste is defined as any gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical that
is ignitable, corrosive, reactive, toxic, or persistent, and is no longer useful or
wanted.
Additional chemicals are managed as hazardous waste at TCU because they are known, probable, or suspected carcinogens, teratogens, irritants and/or sensitizers (refer to a chemical’s safety data sheet to determine if it exhibits any of these characteristics).
Mixtures of chemicals may not be hazardous waste, depending on their concentration and toxicity. Refer to Integrated Laboratory Management Plan (ILMP) for information on how to calculate whether a mixture of chemicals is hazardous waste.
Laboratory Waste Labels
All the chemical constituents in each waste stream must be accurately identified by knowledgeable laboratory personnel. This is a critical safety issue for both laboratory
employees and EHS personnel handling the waste once it is collected.
If there is uncertainty about the composition of a waste stream resulting from an experimental process, laboratory workers must consult the PI/Laboratory Supervisor or EHS. In most cases, careful documentation and review of all chemical products used in the experimental protocol will result in accurate waste stream characterization.
Labeling requirements and guidelines include the following:
- Fill-in the “Generation Start Date,” "Lab/PI Name," and "Room" fields as soon as waste container is started.
- Inspect waste containers to ensure constituents are compatible with container and containers have secure closures.
- Clearly spell out the name of each chemical component on the label. Do not use molecular formulas or chemical abbreviations. Concentrations/percentages/amounts of constituents need to be included on the label, including amounts of water. Please ensure all labels are legible.
- Any incorrect labels should be defaced/marked through and replaced with accurate labels.
Red-and-white Laboratory Waste labels can be found outside of Sid W. Richardson 437.
If you are unsure/unable to determine if a chemical or chemical mixture is hazardous, or have any questions regarding laboratory waste labeling, please contact EHS at safety@tcu.edu or 817-257-5395.
Resources & Forms
Integrated Laboratory Management Plan (work in progress)
Training
Assignment of online courses administered through the HSI/SafetySkills learning management
system is overseen by EHS. For further information contact safety@tcu.edu or contact 817-257-5395.
Laboratory Chemical Waste Management (RCRA) - UNV-16.2
This course is designed to provide an overview of the Resource Conservation Act and
how it applies to laboratory waste in the education and research setting. Individuals
will be able to identify different types of waste as defined by RCRA and their characteristics,
and the accumulation, storage, and recordkeeping requirements imposed by RCRA.