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Drain and Trash
Disposal of Chemicals
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Overview
The disposal of chemicals via a sink drain and/or normal trash is
highly-regulated and subject to public concern and scrutiny.
Federal, state, and city government agencies have established rules
and regulations which strictly limit chemical disposal to the sewer
and trash. These rules and regulations have been established to
protect human health and the environment from an exposure to
hazardous substances, as well as to prevent damage to the City’s
water treatment facilities.
In addition, all of the College’s
refuse waste is collected, handled, and processed by numerous
persons prior to its ultimate disposal. During this period, the
potential for containers to break and expose person(s) to an
“unknown” chemical could be significant. Furthermore, with the
increased public alarm and concern about chemical and biological
agents being released to the public, it has been determined that it
is in the College’s and public’s best interests to not allow the
disposal of containers of chemicals via the normal trash.
This Update shall provide
instruction to determine if a chemical is acceptable for drain or
trash disposal.
Applicability
All persons employed by or working on behalf of the College that
intend to dispose of chemicals via the drain or trash must strictly
adhere to the procedures identified in this Update. These procedures
shall identify the proper means for determining if a chemical is
suitable for drain or trash disposal. Only non-hazardous chemicals,
as determined by Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), may be
suitable for drain or trash disposal.
Please note that this Update does
not apply to the following categories of chemicals. Please refer to
their respective EHS Update for pertinent disposal procedures and
information. Furthermore, EHS reserves the right to approve the
discharge and/or disposal of certain wastes on a case-by-case basis.
Responsibilities
Generators ensure that chemicals and empty containers are
properly discharged, disposed, recycled, and/or otherwise processed
in accordance with this procedure and the College’s Waste Disposal
Procedures. Generators obtain current copies of the Non-Hazardous
Chemical List and Acutely Toxic Chemical List
from Environmental Health and Safety prior to disposing of a
chemicals and/or empty containers in accordance with this procedure.
Environmental Health and Safety
(EHS) ensures that the information provided to the generators is
concurrent with the laws and regulations governing the specific
means of disposal. EHS reviews and updates the Non-Hazardous
Chemical list on an as needed basis.
Chemical Selection Criteria
Only the chemicals identified on the
Non-Hazardous Chemicals list
(Attachment B) are considered suitable for drain and trash disposal
when following the procedures listed below. A chemical was
determined to be acceptable for drain or trash disposal if it did
not exhibit the following characteristics:
- toxic substance which may
adversely affect human health or the environment (e.g., have an
oral-rat LD50 toxicity value less than 500 mg/kg or identified as
a toxic/priority pollutant by the EPA);
- carcinogenic substance according
to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
1979 Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances;
- hazardous waste as defined in 6
NYCRR Part 371-Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste;
- flammable (i.e., has flashpoint
less than or equal to 140oF) or explosive liquids,
solids, or gases;
- noxious or malodorous gas or
substance (e.g., mercaptans);
- chemicals or substances
containing any of the following metals:
- Arsenic
- Barium
- Cadmium
- Chromium
- Copper
- Lead
- Mercury
- Nickel
- Selenium
- Silver
- Zinc
- biological hazard; and/or
- radioactivity.
Procedure
A Chemical Disposal Flowchart (Attachment A) is available to
assist in determining the proper means for disposing your chemicals.
In addition, all chemicals can be managed and disposed as hazardous
wastes in accordance with the College’s Waste Disposal Procedures.
Liquids: Liquid chemicals to be
disposed via a drain must:
(1) meet the following
characteristics:
- contains no radioactive
materials. Contact Radiation Safety (212-746-6964) for the
disposal of radioactive wastes;
- contains no biological hazards;
- chemical constituents listed on
the Non-Hazardous
Chemicals list (Attachment B);
- liquid not exceeding 5 gallons
(19 liters);
- contains less than 10% solids or
viscous substances which are insoluble in water;
- contains less than 50 mg/L (ppm)
oils and greases; and
- have a pH greater than 5.0 and
less than 11.0 or not have any other corrosive property likely to
cause damage to structures or equipment of the sewerage system.
(2) discharge to the sewer via a
laboratory sink drain only;
(3) flush with copious amounts of
water (15-20 times the original volume); and
(4) allow the previous chemical to
be completely flushed prior to discharging the next chemical waste.
Note: Other chemicals may be
suitable for disposal via this procedure. However, the discharge of
chemicals not specifically listed as a Non-Hazardous Chemical is
strictly prohibited. Generators may submit requests for chemicals to
be reviewed by contacting EHS. An EHS representative will review the
request to determine if the chemical should be added to the list.
Solids: Though containers of
chemicals are not approved for disposal via normal trash, standard
laboratory articles (e.g., gloves, pads, etc.) contaminated with
non-hazardous chemicals may be disposed via the trash. In order to
dispose of contaminated laboratory debris via the trash, it must:
(1) meet the following
characteristics:
- contains no radioactive
materials. Contact Radiation Safety (212-746-6964) for the
disposal of radioactive materials;
- contains no biological hazards;
- chemical constituents listed on
the Non-Hazardous
Chemicals list (Attachment B); and
- free of excess or free-flowing
powders.
(2) if plausible, be consolidated
into a bag or other container to minimize potential releases; and
(3) be placed in a normal trash
receptacle for Housekeeping to collect.
Note: It is important to be
conscious of the potential harm and alarm which may result from the
disposal of contaminated laboratory debris with excess or
free-flowing powders. If a contaminated item contains excess powders
which may result in the forming of “dust clouds” during its
handling, then these items should be managed and disposed as a
hazardous waste in accordance with the College’s Waste Disposal
Procedures.
Empty Containers: A container is
considered “empty” if it contains less than or equal to 3 percent by
weight of its total capacity. In order to dispose of “empty”
containers via the trash, it must:
(1) meet the following
characteristics:
- contains no radioactive
materials. Contact Radiation Safety (212-746-6964) for the
disposal of radioactive wastes;
- contains no biological hazards;
- contains less than or equal to 3
percent by weight of its total capacity; and
- originally did not contain an
acutely toxic chemical. The list of
acutely toxic chemicals is available via the EHS website. Acutely
toxic chemical containers must be managed and disposed as a
hazardous waste in accordance with the College’s Waste Disposal
Procedures.
(2) attempt to recover, collect, or
use all of the container’s contents (e.g., no contents should be
able to immediately spill from the open container if held
upside-down);
(3) triple rinse with water and
discharge the water down a laboratory sink drain;
(4) remove or deface labels; and
(5) discard in an appropriate
refuse container with lids removed for Housekeeping to collect.
- Glass in a rigid cardboard/glass
collection box.
- All others in a clear plastic
garbage bag (double-bagged).
References
NYSDEC 6 NYCRR Part 371 –
Identification and Listing of Hazardous Waste
NYCDEP Chapter 19 – Use of the
Public Sewers
NIOSH 1979 Registry of Toxic
Effects of Chemical Substances
USEPA 40 CFR 401.15 – Toxic
Pollutants |
