Safety in Teaching Labs
Waste Disposal
Waste disposal is an important part of working safely in a lab. If material is not disposed of in the correct way, it can pose unnecessary risk to those working in the lab and anyone who may encounter it during disposal. You should try to keep your work station clean and tidy throughout your lab session by regularly disposing of waste items. There are 6 main waste streams in teaching labs, summarised in the poster below, which can also be found displayed in the lab. More information about each of these waste streams is provided below, but if you are ever unsure about something please speak to a demonstrator or technician who will be able to advise about safe disposal.
Waste Disposal Video
Waste Stations
Waste stations can be found along rows of fume hoods in every area of the lab. As well as waste containers, they also house rotary evaporators and vacuum pumps. The waste stations are ventilated from the top, drawing solvent fumes out of the lab. However, this does not provide the same level of protection as a fume hood and therefore no chemistry may be carried out at the waste station.
Also at the waste station you will find a blue roll and a dustpan and brush. These are useful for clearing up any small spillages of solvent and/or any broken glassware. If you are unsure of how to safely clear up after an accident please speak to a demonstrator or technician who will be able to assist.
Solvent
There are 2 large (usually glass but sometimes plastic) bottles at each waste station labelled flammable waste and halogenated waste. These are used for waste from the trap of a rotary evaporator and can be filled using the large red funnels. No waste from your fume hood should go in here.
Offensive Waste
Material that has come into contact with chemicals should be disposed of in the blue and yellow offensive waste bins. This includes weighing boats, filter paper, blue roll or gloves. Do not put any powders or liquids in these bins, if a piece of blue roll is saturated with solvent, leave it to dry at the back of a fume hood before disposing.
Sharps
Plastic sharps bins are used for disposing of needles. Do not attempt to remove the needle from the syringe after you have used it, simply dispose of both parts together in the sharps bin. Make sure there are no hazardous needles sticking out the top of the bin and if you think it is getting too full, speak to a technician who can assist.
Glass
The blue barrels are used to dispose of glass waste. This includes used Pasteur pipettes, empty sample vials and broken glassware. Always check with a technician before throwing away broken glassware as it may be able to be fixed. Never throw away NMR tubes - return to the hatch if they are chipped or contaminated.
Sample Vials
If you have sample vials which contain compound, these cannot be disposed of in the glass waste. Ensure they are securely fastened with a lid and dispose of in the brown sample vial bins.
Silica, Drying Agents and TLC Plates
Alongside the solvent waste bottles there is also a container form disposing of inert solid chemicals. This includes silica from columns, drying agents such as magnesium sulfate, and used TLC plates. Do not dispose of solid products here, they must be dissolved in a suitable solvent and disposed of in solvent waste.
Fume Hood Waste
As well as the large waste stations, each fume hood in the teaching labs also contains a small waste station for convenience during your lab sessions. Care should be taken to keep this area clean and tidy to reduce risk. The bottles should never be removed from the plastic tray and should always be corked when not in use. If there are any large spills, speak to a demonstrator or technician who can advise on how to clean up.
Also at the back of the fume hood there are wash bottles of acetone and deionised water. These can both be used for cleaning of glassware, but the deionised water may also be used for reactions.
Solvent
There are 3 small glass bottles in a plastic tray for solvent waste from your reactions. All solvent should be disposed of here as either aqueous, flammable or halogenated waste. Solid products should be dissolved in a suitable solvent and disposed of here. When full, speak to a technician or demonstrator who can empty it for you.
Glass
All used glass consumables can be placed in the white plastic container during the lab day. This includes Pasteur pipettes, TLC spotters and melting point tubes. Before leaving your session you must empty this into the large blue glass bins at the waste stations, to leave the fume hood ready for the next user.
Chemical Waste Disposal
The following flowchart is displayed at the back of every fume hood in teaching labs, behind the small waste station. It details the thought process that you should go through to decide how to dispose of any chemical waste. Chemical waste can include excess reagents, intermediate and final products, solvents, reaction mixtures, or filtrates. If you are ever unsure of the correct stream to dispose of chemical waste speak to a demonstrator or technician who will be able to advise.
