Chemical waste is produced in laboratories on a regular basis, however, not all of this waste is hazardous. Certain chemicals are allowed to be disposed of with regular garbage or dumped down the drain. There are many restrictions surrounding laboratory chemical disposal, so it is important your facility follows all guidelines. If you have questions or concerns regarding how your laboratory chemical disposal should be managed, talk to the experts at Environmental Marketing Service. 

On-Site Chemical Material Identification and Inventory

Many laboratory chemicals are classified as hazardous. Hazardous chemicals require special handling, storage, and disposal methods. These chemicals are also substances for which your facility must maintain a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard.

An SDS lists the standards used to identify hazardous chemicals. These data sheets also contain detailed information regarding the physical and health hazards associated with the chemicals as well as protective measures that should be taken when handling them. An SDS, or on-site chemical material identification and inventory has to be submitted to the State under Section 311 of the EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.)

Facilities that are required to submit on-site chemical material identification and inventory, or SDSs also have to submit annual inventory reports for the same chemicals. Talk to the professionals at Environmental Marketing Service to learn how to handle the SDS requirements for your facility.

Lab-Pack Disposal for Laboratory Chemicals

Laboratories generally generate small quantities of unwanted or used chemicals during normal operations. These smaller quantities can be placed in containers and then packed into larger ones. The process of laboratory chemical disposal using separate containers is known as Lab-Pack Waste Disposal.

A lab pack is composed of small containers of chemical waste being over-packed into a larger, more sturdy container. The smaller containers packed within the larger one are carefully sorted and padded with an inert material to ensure safe transport and disposal of the waste materials.

Lab packs are filled with various small-quantity containers of hazardous chemicals similar to each other, such as flammables, oxidizers, or acids. Once the lab pack is received at the hazardous waste management facility, further consolidation of the chemicals is performed. This consolidation will prepare the chemical waste for the best possible course of disposal.

Chemical Waste Lab-Pack Services

Lab chemical solutions for disposal management at your facility can be handled by Environmental Marketing Service.Lab chemical solutions provide customized services depending on your facility’s needs. Inventory is taken of all hazardous chemicals in your lab along with methodical and detailed categorization and identification to ensure the proper disposal of each one.

Trained professionals will identify the applicable packaging to maximize usable volume, and decrease costs along with assurance of safety. Your facility’s laboratory chemical  disposal is tracked through innovative technology that documents inner containers through every step of the transportation and disposal process.

Turnkey Lab-Pack Services

Turnkey lab-pack services by Environmental Marketing Service provide your facility with assistance from pre-inventory to disposal and treatment services with your laboratory chemical disposal. All paperwork, packaging, labeling, waste segregation, transportation, and disposal are handled by expert staff.

These are some of the benefits often offered through turnkey lab-pack services:

• Paperwork, including labels, manifests, and slips
• OSHA, DOT, and EPA compliance
• State and local regulatory compliance
• Correct waste segregation techniques
• Paper pack
• Nationwide services, excluding New Jersey, Hawaii, and Alaska
• Trained, experienced staff in all types of chemicals and lab packs
• Scheduled pickups
• Knowledge of how to turn hazardous waste into non-hazardous waste

Turnkey lab-pack services lessen the burden on your facility in a variety of ways and will alleviate the worry of having expired, unneeded, or used chemicals in your storage area.

Chemicals Allowed for Lab-Pack Disposal

When laboratory chemical disposal is done properly, your facility will gain peace of mind that your waste materials are been marked, packed, and disposed of with care. Having laboratory chemicals that are no longer needed, have expired, or have been used will protect  your staff, students, employees, and all others from potential hazards.

Chemicals or materials that are allowed for lab-pack disposal include:

• Flammable, toxic, corrosive, pyrophoric, or explosive materials
• Oxidizers
• Chemical reagents
• Disinfecting or cleaning agents
• Radioactive materials
• Paints, thinners, varnish strippers, inks, or dyes
• Universal wastes
• Reagents, bases, or acids
• Compressed gasses or aerosols
• Solvents
• TSCA chemicals (Toxic Substances Control Act)
• Reactive materials from metals
• DEA substances (Drug Enforcement Administration)
• Organic peroxides
• Mixed wastes
• Unlabeled or unknown containers

There are different hazard classes under the federal guidelines pertaining to packing groups, specific shipping names, and placing certain chemicals together. Only someone trained to handle hazardous chemicals should oversee lab packing materials.

Regulations for Lab-Pack Waste Disposal

Handling dangerous laboratory chemical disposal is a safety concern as well as a matter of regulation and law. There are EPA lab packing guidelines to follow as well as others. The EPA has full authority over controlling hazardous waste, however, they do delegate most of this to local and state authorities.

Amendments to the RCRA with more stringent hazardous waste management standards have increased the EPA’s enforcement authority. One of the most notable mandates to come out of the increased standards in the LDR (Land Disposal Restrictions.)

Provisions in the LDR focus on eradicating the possibility of dangerous contaminants polluting groundwater. Chemicals are to be put through a treatment process before land disposal methods are used. Talk to the experts at Environmental Marketing Service to make sure your facility is compliant with all regulations.

CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) also called the Superfund, is also part of the EPA’s chemical waste regulations. Through this Act, the EPA is allowed to locate parties responsible for all hazardous material release. The EPA can make sure cooperation is received from responsible parties for any cleanup process regardless of their involvement in the disposal process.

Understanding the correct treatment of laboratory chemicals and being in compliance with land disposal restrictions is critical in order to uphold CERCLA, LDR, and RCRA statutes. Working with a reputable team, such as those at Environmental Marketing Service will ensure your facility properly handles all laboratory chemical disposal steps.

Environmental Benefits of Lab-Pack Waste Disposal

Lab-pack disposal not only keeps people safe from hazardous materials, the lab-pack also protects our environment from harm. When hazardous materials are thrown in with regular garbage or poured down the drain, it endangers the lives of humans in the area along with the environment.

When hazardous laboratory chemical waste is improperly disposed of, it can create health risks due to toxins being released into the environment. Untreated laboratory chemical disposal into landfills will contaminate ground and surface waters. Laboratory or any hazardous waste treated with chemical disinfectants can release chemical substances into the environment and become a risk if not stored, handled or disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

There are multiple health risks associated with mishandling laboratory or any other hazardous substances. The government considers it a crime if laboratory chemical disposal or other hazardous materials are not properly removed and disposed of. Facilities that do not store, repack, transport, and dispose of harmful laboratory chemicals or other hazardous materials are subject to criminal penalties, such as fines or time in prison.

When a facility complies with lab pack guidelines set forth by the federal government, they can rest assured they’ve done everything to protect human lives, the community, and the environment. This compliance ensures your facility has properly moved, treated, and disposed of hazardous laboratory waste.

Working with a dedicated and reliable partner, Environmental Marketing Service is your solution to proper laboratory chemical disposal.