As the UW is safely returning to on-site work and instructional activities, it’s a great time for our campus partners to consider ways you can help us collect your hazardous chemical waste faster.
Here are some tips to speed up the chemical waste collection process:
- If your lab or shop has limited operating hours, write them in the Notes or Comments section of your request. (Visit the Chemical Waste Disposal webpage for information on how to submit a request).
- Don’t accumulate waste. Submit a collection request when the container is full, or even as soon as the waste is generated. For your safety, and to ensure regulatory compliance, we would rather make three trips to pick up one bottle each time, than have you wait months (or years) to get all three bottles at once.
- Don’t wait to submit a request. You should not keep a waste bottle for more than three months, as a rule of thumb. After three months, consider submitting a request even if the container isn’t “full.”
- Consider using smaller containers if the waste volumes are small and infrequently generated.
- If your collection request has more than 10 items, consider numbering the containers with the corresponding line item numbers on the collection request for faster processing.
Following these tips will help speed up the chemical waste collection process for yourself and others at the UW.
Visit the Chemical Waste Disposal webpage for more information, and contact the EH&S Environmental Programs team at chmwaste@edu with questions about hazardous chemical waste.