Dry Chemical Waste (including Contaminated Materials)

What is dry chemical waste?

Dry chemical waste refers to waste materials that contain no free-standing liquids. It is categorized into two types:

Solid chemical waste- (solids chemicals in bottles)
Dry bulked waste- these are dry materials that have been contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

You should never combine solid chemical waste containers in with your dry bulk waste.

Never place needles or sharps, liquids, and solid chemicals

Contaminated labware (e.g., pipette tips, kimiwipes, towels, gloves, plastic labware)
Ethidium bromide or acrylamide gels
Dried chemicals in scrapable amounts on surfaces
Empty containers or debris contaminated with extremely hazardous substances
Clean-up debris from chemical spills
Containers (less than 5 gallons) that are contaminated and cannot be easily cleaned

To ensure safety and compliance, follow these storage guidelines:

Double-bag using transparent 4 mil plastic bags
Use chemically compatible materials (LDPE or PP)- Do not use food-grade Ziploc bags
Ensure bags are sealed (taped, tied, or otherwise closed)
Avoid sharp or protruding edges
Bags must contain no liquids
Use appropriately sized bags- Do not tape multiple bags together
Do not include containers with solid chemical waste - These require their own WASTe tags