Skip to Main Content

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. 

Do Not 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

How to prepare your "Dry" waste

The table below describes guidelines to follow to ensure the safe and compliant preparation of your dry chemical waste:

Dry Bulk WasteDry Solid Chemical Waste
  • 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 mix with containers of solid chemical waste - These require their own WASTe tags
  • Affix a WASTe tags on to bottle or bag.
  • Small bottles can be placed in a transparent 4 mil plastic bags for ease of labeling.
  • Ensure bags are sealed (taped, tied, or otherwise closed)
  • Bags must contain no liquids
  • Use appropriately sized bags- Do not tape multiple bags together
  • Do not mix with dry bulk waste content
  • If transferring into a waste container use chemically compatible materials (LDPE or PP).
  • Affix a WASTe tags on to bottle or bag.
  •  

How to prepare your Hazardous Waste