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HOW TO REDUCE LABORATORY WASTE
- Buy only what is needed, reducing wastage due to expiry.
- Find a reliable supplier who will deliver small amounts of chemicals at short notice. Ask if they will take back unused chemicals.
- A centralized purchasing programme should be considered. This means that all orders are placed with a delegated person who may be able to take advantage of bulk pricing.
- All chemicals and wastes in the lab should be labeled. A waste chemical has no use. This labeling system should be standardized.
- Separate waste into the following streams for treatment, reuse or disposal:
- Sharps including scalpels and syringes;
- Glassware;
- Biological samples;
- General lab waste such as wipes,
- Gloves, tissue;
HOW TO REUSE LABORATORY WASTE
- Reusing an item is often the best way of reducing waste.
- All wastes should be segregated based on chemical incompatibilities e.g. hazardous and non-hazardous wastes should not be mixed together. The same is true of organic and inorganic waste.
- Waste streams that are capable of being recycled should be stored separately i.e. recoverable metals or solvents.
HOW TO RECYCLE LABORATORY WASTE
- Non-hazardous waste such as paper and packaging waste that can be recycled. To promote and encourage recycling of this material place recycling bins in the lab.
- Make sure the recycling bin is labelled clearly by placing a label on the bin stating paper only, ensuring that hazardous wastes such as chemicals are not placed in the bin.
- Bins for the collection of hazardous materials should be placed in the lab. These should be emptied regularly and looked after by lab personnel/technicians.
- All waste from the lab should be collected by a trained waste collector who is specialized in hazardous waste collection and who is licensed to treat and dispose of the waste.
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