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Top ten institutional ways to minimize laboratory waste
Top ten institutional ways to minimize laboratory waste Laboratory Waste Minimization
n the previous issue, we presented our recommendations on the top ten ways workers can minimize waste in their laboratories. In this column, we present our top ten recommendations for institutions to minimize waste in laboratories.
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program to redistribute surplus chemicals to others. If you pursue this option, be sure to develop policies about what is suitable for redistribution, provide adequate safe storage space for the chemicals, and set limit on holding time.
Define Your Waste Management System: Most institutions find the best method to define their system is to prepare a hazardous waste management manual. The manual should contain the institution’s policies and assign specific responsibilities. In addition, the manual can be used to train and communicate the institution’s expectations to all employees.
Mercury Reduction Program: Mercury is expensive to recycle or dispose. In our experience, mercury is the number one cause of chemical spills in the laboratory. Implement an institutional plan to reduce or eliminate elemental mercury use.
Develop an Institutional Waste Minimization Plan: This plan should be prepared as an essential component of the hazardous waste manual. We suggest that the plan specify responsibilities, review recent accomplishments, identify goals for the coming year, and provide a selfevaluation mechanism. Track Waste Generation: A responsible unit, usually the Environmental Health and Safety Office, should be assigned program oversight. This unit should track the types of waste, the amount produced, and points of generation. Such information is necessary to develop both a comprehensive waste management program and waste minimization initiatives.
Peter C. Ashbrook (left) is director of environmental health and safety at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Todd A. Houts (right) is assistant director of environmental health and safety at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.
1074-9098/00/$20.00 PII S1074-9098(01)00259-3
Track Waste Management Costs: An important element of the waste management system includes a good understanding of costs. Many waste minimization initiatives save the institution money; being able to demonstrate this fact facilitates obtaining necessary approvals. Establish Communication Channels: The responsible campus unit will communicate campus policies and procedures and share experiences (technology transfer). Multiple methods of communication are recommended, such as newsletters, the web, committees, and personal contact. Redistribution Program: Every laboratory ends up with surplus chemicals sooner or later. The institution should have a
Fund for Waste Minimization Equipment: The institution can support waste minimization in a tangible way by establishing a fund to facilitate purchase of waste minimization equipment. We suggest that if a fund is created, it be administered by a committee and that some form of cost sharing with the individual or department be encouraged. Silver Recovery from Photo Fixers: Photo labs are found in a variety of settings. In most locales, vendors can provide silver recovery equipment. Such equipment may be operated in individual laboratories or at a central recycling facility. If you pursue this option, check to make sure that you are in compliance with any state or local regulations pertaining to such recycling activities. Mixed Wastes: Wastes that are regulated by both EPA (chemical hazards) and NRC (radioactive hazards) present regulatory headaches and are very expensive to dispose. The institution should educate researchers about what constitutes mixed wastes, about the cost of disposal, and how to minimize their generation. As with the previous column, most of these techniques are administrative in nature. It is therefore difficult to evaluate their effectiveness in minimizing waste. We believe that all institutions could benefit from applying most of these principles. Waste Minimization Recommendation #66: Review your institution’s hazardous waste management guidance for waste minimization opportunities on an annual basis.
© Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society Published by Elsevier Science Inc.
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n the previous issue, we presented our recommendations on the top ten ways workers can minimize waste in their laboratories. In this column, we present our top ten recommendations for institutions to minimize waste in laboratories.
I
program to redistribute surplus chemicals to others. If you pursue this option, be sure to develop policies about what is suitable for redistribution, provide adequate safe storage space for the chemicals, and set limit on holding time.
Define Your Waste Management System: Most institutions find the best method to define their system is to prepare a hazardous waste management manual. The manual should contain the institution’s policies and assign specific responsibilities. In addition, the manual can be used to train and communicate the institution’s expectations to all employees.
Mercury Reduction Program: Mercury is expensive to recycle or dispose. In our experience, mercury is the number one cause of chemical spills in the laboratory. Implement an institutional plan to reduce or eliminate elemental mercury use.
Develop an Institutional Waste Minimization Plan: This plan should be prepared as an essential component of the hazardous waste manual. We suggest that the plan specify responsibilities, review recent accomplishments, identify goals for the coming year, and provide a selfevaluation mechanism. Track Waste Generation: A responsible unit, usually the Environmental Health and Safety Office, should be assigned program oversight. This unit should track the types of waste, the amount produced, and points of generation. Such information is necessary to develop both a comprehensive waste management program and waste minimization initiatives.
Peter C. Ashbrook (left) is director of environmental health and safety at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and Todd A. Houts (right) is assistant director of environmental health and safety at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.
1074-9098/00/$20.00 PII S1074-9098(01)00259-3
Track Waste Management Costs: An important element of the waste management system includes a good understanding of costs. Many waste minimization initiatives save the institution money; being able to demonstrate this fact facilitates obtaining necessary approvals. Establish Communication Channels: The responsible campus unit will communicate campus policies and procedures and share experiences (technology transfer). Multiple methods of communication are recommended, such as newsletters, the web, committees, and personal contact. Redistribution Program: Every laboratory ends up with surplus chemicals sooner or later. The institution should have a
Fund for Waste Minimization Equipment: The institution can support waste minimization in a tangible way by establishing a fund to facilitate purchase of waste minimization equipment. We suggest that if a fund is created, it be administered by a committee and that some form of cost sharing with the individual or department be encouraged. Silver Recovery from Photo Fixers: Photo labs are found in a variety of settings. In most locales, vendors can provide silver recovery equipment. Such equipment may be operated in individual laboratories or at a central recycling facility. If you pursue this option, check to make sure that you are in compliance with any state or local regulations pertaining to such recycling activities. Mixed Wastes: Wastes that are regulated by both EPA (chemical hazards) and NRC (radioactive hazards) present regulatory headaches and are very expensive to dispose. The institution should educate researchers about what constitutes mixed wastes, about the cost of disposal, and how to minimize their generation. As with the previous column, most of these techniques are administrative in nature. It is therefore difficult to evaluate their effectiveness in minimizing waste. We believe that all institutions could benefit from applying most of these principles. Waste Minimization Recommendation #66: Review your institution’s hazardous waste management guidance for waste minimization opportunities on an annual basis.
© Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society Published by Elsevier Science Inc.
27