COLLEGE
OF NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS
Hazardous
Waste Collection and Labeling Policy
CONDENSED VERSION:
COMPLETE POLICY:
1) WASTE MINIMIZATION: Unwanted but still
useful chemicals and consumer products in sound containers that bear legible
labeling should screened for potential re-use prior to being sent off-campus as
waste. These unwanted items may simply
be marked by the owner with colored tape and left in the customary storage
location, or placed compatibly in boxes, trays, etc. pending pickup. In either case, make sure that the CNSM
Safety Office (x55623) is aware that surplus chemicals and/or waste in an area
under your control has been identified.
On or before the routine quarterly waste pick-up day, the materials will
be evaluated for possible re-use by another then removed. CNSM Safety personnel will then transfer the
materials to another user, the CNSM Waste Minimization area or to the custody
of the hazardous waste contractor.
Please remember to contact CNSM Safety before ordering chemicals - the
needed item may be available at no cost to you!
2) CONTROL OF WASTE-PRODUCING
OPERATIONS: Faculty (course coordinators,
thesis advisors, principal investigators, etc.), staff (technicians, trades
persons, supervisors, researchers, etc.) and administrators (program directors,
Deans, Chairs) must anticipate and prepare for the responsible management of
any hazardous waste generated from the campus activities they perform and/or
oversee.
This
written procedure is designed to help campus personnel fulfill this
obligation. Nearly any use of a
hazardous material can generate hazardous waste. Regulated hazardous waste can be created from
“non-hazardous” materials. When hazardous waste must be produced, CNSM
Safety Office personnel will help in the development of a process-specific plan
to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.
If possible, a non-hazardous or less-hazardous option will be
proposed.
3) GENERATION POINT HAZARDOUS
WASTE CONTAINERS: Selection of an appropriate
container or containers to hold the waste routinely generated by workplace
operations is a critical step. As the
containers used are typically NOT the final “over-the-road” containers that require new and specific types of
containers, almost any safe and effective container will suffice.
Sound containers may be used over and over again
for the same waste‑stream (emptied by specifically trained personnel into
larger waste containers and then returned to the generation site) OR they may
be one‑use containers (the disposition of unwanted emptied waste containers
is the responsibility of the hazardous waste contractor). The following container selection/use
guidelines must be observed at all times:
a.
Container material: The
container must be compatible with the waste, i.e. No acids in steel containers,
no gasoline in styrofoam, no picric acid or perchloric acid solutions in lead
soldered or zinc coated containers.
b. Container condition: The container must be
in sound condition ‑‑ including the closure(s) and gasket(s) as
appropriate. No brittle, degraded
plastics, structurally corroded metal, etc.
c. Container closure:
The container must be equipped with a leak‑proof
mechanical closure such as a threaded cap.
The cap must be equipped with a gasket that holds in the material when
tipped, carried. Cap threads must match
the container. Friction‑fit
stoppers or film seals are generally unacceptable.
d. Container size:
Whenever possible, the container size should be
matched to the volume of waste generated in 90 days. 100 ml. of waste liquid in a 5 liter bottle
can be a very wasteful situation as some waste contractors simply place the
bottle in a drum rather than transfer/consolidate the material. Always leave room in the full container to
allow for expansion. In the case of
extremely hazardous materials however, a small volume‑‑including an
unrinsed "empty" container--can be an acceptable waste item.
e. Container spill control:
Employ
"double containment" for waste containers. Put the collection container in some type of
tray, tub, bucket, etc. These
containment units sometimes provide the only suitable surface for affixing the
required Hazardous Waste Label (see point "4" below for labeling
details). Some double containment units
are available at no cost through the CNSM Safety Office.
4) REQUIRED LABELING FOR
HAZARDOUS WASTE CONTAINERS: State and
Federal EPA regulations are very strict as to the labeling of hazardous
waste. Never write the word
“WASTE” on any container! For
this reason, self-adhesive EPA-compliant Hazardous Waste Labels are widely
distributed to CNSM personnel. The use
of this waste label IS REQUIRED BY LAW.
A supply of these yellow labels is provided in packets on or near most
fume hoods and they are also available from the CNSM Safety Office, Department
offices and issue rooms.
The generator information on the label must be legibly completed by
lab/workplace personnel at the time the label is affixed
(see detailed
instructions below as points a thru e). If using an empty chemical bottle
for waste, remove or deface all conflicting information on the old container
label. The person who sets up the
waste collection container must write in information by hand, check boxes and
circle categories to complete the label.
When
waste containers are too small for the CNSM Hazardous Waste label, put the
completed label on a tray, tub or beaker that holds the small waste
bottle(s). One label on a tub
constitutes adequate waste labeling for many small containers of a single waste‑type.
Contact the department issue room or the CNSM Safety Office for more
information regarding the data required on the label or any other waste related
question.
5) INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING
THE HAZARDOUS WASTE LABEL:
(Please have a label in your hand as your read
this information)
a. Start date:
The date waste was
first placed in the container or date the material was designated as waste
must be indicated. Mark the date
directly on the label. IN NO CASE MAY
GENERATION POINT WASTE BE ACCUMULATED FOR MORE THAN NINE MONTHS -- EVEN IF THE
CONTAINER IS NOT YET FULL!!! Request
a pickup from your department issue room or the science Safety Office when
the waste is six months old!!! This
will prevent the receipt of costly fines by Cal/EPA!!
b. Name/identity of the waste
material:
The box marked
“This container is to be
used for the collection of:” requires a general name for the waste.
This name must, where possible, be a recognized chemical or product name (such
as "toluene" or "pump oil"). When the waste consists of a mixture of materials
(such as "halogenated solvents", "animal preservative", or
"HPLC waste") each component of the mix must be listed and the
approximate percent of the total mixture volume indicated. If the mixture contains more than 10
components, write the other components on an attached sheet. For example:
This container is to be used for the collection
of:
“Mixed solvents".
Components:
"acetone 60%”, “isopropanol 5%”, “chloroform 5%”, “water 30%".
Below
the “This container ...” box, circle the properties that apply to
the waste. In the case of this example, circle
“Solvents(non-halogenated)” and
“Solvents (Halogenated)”.
c. Physical state: Check the box to indicate Solid,
Liquid or Gas. This MUST be done -- even
if the waste is in a clear bottle and the physical state is obvious.
d. Hazards(s):
Check box(es) to indicate Flammable,
Oxidizer, Corrosive, Poison, etc. as appropriate. Hazard information may be taken from the
original product label, or ask your issue room or Safety Office (hazards assigned
per DOT: 49CFR Sect. 172.101). See CNSM
Safety Memo 41. For the example above, Flammable,
Poison and perhaps Carcinogen would be appropriate.
e. Contents: As discussed under point
“b” above, use these 10
spaces to list the Components and Amount in % of the waste.
f. Faculty or staff name:
The name of the faculty, staff or
administrator responsible for the contents and oversight of the
waste container must be indicated on the label.
Please note that official responsibility for effective, ongoing oversight
of a waste generating operation cannot be delegated to a student. The person listed is responsible for ensuring
compliance and conveying these hazardous waste guidelines to everyone who
generates waste. Having a person’s name on the label also
facilitates timely return of re-usable waste containers.
g) DEPT (Department): Write in the department responsible. It may be an academic department, College,
trades group (like Paint Shop, Auto Shop, Grounds), Animal Facility, etc. The department that acquired the original
material is typically the group responsible for the waste created by its use.
h) Room #:
List the room/location where the waste was
created. Only waste generated on the
CSULB campus may be managed by the CSULB program. Transport of waste to the campus from
elsewhere is forbidden.
i) Acc. Fac. S.D.: Generators do not use
this box. Campus Safety personnel
indicate here when a full container has been moved to an approved on-campus
storage area.
6. GENERATION SITE WASTE MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
The
faculty and/or staff considered responsible for a given waste-generating
process should regularly examine the container(s) and monitor compliance.
The responsible person must:
‑‑ Ensure that all persons
adding waste are trained in waste compatibility and policies.
‑‑ Ensure that all material
added to the container is chemically compatible.
-- Ensure that hazardous waste is
collected -- not dumped in a sink or trash can.
‑‑ Ensure that the container
is sound and compatible with the waste.
‑‑ Ensure that the container
is KEPT CLOSED except when adding waste.
‑‑ Ensure that the container
is kept in a containment tub or tray.
‑‑ Ensure that the container,
label and any log sheet lists contents and amount.
‑‑ Ensure that any spills
are dealt with promptly.
‑‑ Ensure that the
department issue room or CNSM Safety Office (x55623) is notified when
(1) The container is full, or (2) The six-month anniversary date (from
first use) is approached, whichever comes first.
Restricting
access to a waste container (locking it away or locking it in a closed position
to preclude improper "contributions") is sometimes the only way to
make sure all of the above rules are followed -- especially when the waste
container is in an area used by more than one faculty or staff person. The CNSM Safety Office can help design and
expedite fabrication of such arrangements.
HazWasteProc04.doc