Hazardous Waste Disposal
Overview
The University has a system and procedures for the safe collection and disposal of hazardous waste - waste with the potential to cause injury, infection or offence to living organisms and the environment.
Guidelines
Hazardous waste at UTS can be classified as either:
Hazardous waste collection dates for chemical and clinical waste at UTS are available.
Chemical Waste
Chemical Waste Depot Access Restrictions
The University has a system to restrict access to the Broadway hazardous chemical waste depot to designated UTS hazardous waste contacts only.
Before being able to access the depot, UTS staff must be able to demonstrate a level of competency (as assessed by Safety & Wellbeing via a short online test) in relation to the storage of hazardous waste.
Each designated UTS waste contact also has their digital image recorded for identification purposes and, on each occasion of the use of the waste depot, signs for the waste depot key with the Facility Management Unit's Central Services branch.
These steps are required for compliance with State and Federal Government security requirements, and also to minimise the risk of incorrect storage of chemicals.
Please contact Safety & Wellbeing if you have any questions about access to the waste depot.
Steps for disposal of chemical waste at UTS
Please note: the following instructions relate only to designated UTS Hazardous Waste Contacts.
- Identify the waste and determine whether it can be recycled by UTS (e.g. mercury or solder) or requires disposal. If in doubt as to whether the waste can be recycled, contact Safety & Wellbeing on ext 1063.
- Collect compatible waste types in approved 5L plastic (HDPE) dangerous goods containers.
Always segregate waste according to chemical type. Especially ensure chemicals which react to give off gases or heat are not combined. This will reduce the risk of fire or explosion.
Leave a 3cm airspace before sealing the plastic container. Registered chemical waste contacts at UTS can obtain HDPE containers and DG labels from the Faculty of Science store at the Broadway campus without charge.
Do not use glass containers, such as Winchesters, to store waste. Glass containers should be washed thoroughly (by triple rinsing), the label obliterated, dried and put into glass recycling (if recycling is not available, then dispose of the glass container in the general waste bins). Throw the washed lid into the rubbish bin. Ensure heat-resistant glass does not get into the recycling stream.
Solid waste should be stored in its original container. - Label the container with a 'Hazardous Waste for Disposal' sticker (shown below), and the appropriate risk and safety phrases and dangerous goods symbols . The waste will not be collected if it is unlabelled.
Specialised stickers for labelling hazardous liquid waste (shown below) are also available from Safety & Wellbeing.
Click each image below for the corresponding Material Safety Data Sheet.
- Complete the "Request for Disposal of Hazardous Waste" form.
Attach the pink-coloured carbon-copy to the waste container and send the original to Safety & Wellbeing. The waste will not be collected if the form is not completed.
If you need a new book of "Request for Disposal of Hazardous Waste" forms, please contact Safety & Wellbeing. - Transport the waste to the Level 2, Building 1 waste depot. As access to the depot is restricted, you will need to sign-in and sign-out for the waste depot key via Central Services, as mentioned above.
Don't take oxidizing agents, 'dangerous when wet', 'spontaneously combustible', unstable or self-reacting substances to the waste depot. These substances present an unacceptable fire/explosion risk and should instead be taken to the appropriate segregated chemical store within the Faculty of Science's stores area.
Protect our beaches and ocean - don't put waste down the sink. Disposal of hazardous waste via the sewer system can harm marine and bird life. Additionally, Sydney Water can track the source of contamination and impose a fine.
Clinical and Related Waste
This type of hazardous waste covers human and animal material which has the potential to cause a microbiological or pathological hazard to health (e.g. biological extracts, biological tissues, materials contaminated with biological waste, animal waste and sharps).
The steps for the disposal of clinical and related waste at UTS are as follows:
- Determine if the waste is infectious.
Unknown waste must be treated as infectious.
Infectious waste includes microbiological media, blood, body parts and waste from medical clinics, whilst non-infectious waste includes insect waste and some animal carcasses.
- Treat and bag waste.
Infectious waste - If the waste is infectious, the waste generator determines if the waste can be autoclaved. Autoclavable waste is placed in an autoclave bag, autoclaved and stored for hazardous waste collection. Non-autoclavable infectious waste is sorted, sealed in a plastic bag and stored in a special, dedicated freezer for hazardous waste collection.
Non-infectious waste - If the waste is non-infectious, the waste is bagged and put in either a 240L yellow Otto bin or stored in a freezer for pickup by the hazardous waste disposal contractor.
- Sharps (acupuncture needles, syringes, scalpel blades, broken glass) do not require autoclaving if they are in a container that complies with AS4031.
- Clinical and related waste is collected by the University's contractors on a weekly basis from both the Gore Hill Research Laboratories and the Level 2, Building 1 (City Campus) waste store.
Radioactive Waste
For information on the disposal of radioactive waste, contact Bill Booth, Radiation Safety Officer on ext 4107 or Environment, Health and Safety on ext 1063.
Responsibilities
The University is responsible for the management of hazardous waste, from the point of generation to its disposal. We need to protect people who work with our waste before and after it leaves UTS. We also need to minimise the amount of waste produced and reduce the impact of this waste on the environment. There are a number of laws under which both the University and individuals can be penalised if the correct waste disposal procedures are not followed.
All staff/students are responsible for following the procedures to dispose of waste safely and to minimise waste wherever possible.
The Faculty/Unit waste contacts are responsible for coordinating waste disposal at the Faculty/Unit level and providing information to relevant staff and students.
Deans/Directors are responsible for nominating the waste contacts and supporting action to minimise the amount of waste produced.
Safety & Wellbeing is responsible for the coordination of hazardous waste management at UTS, including:
- liaising with the waste disposal contractor to arrange for the removal of waste from UTS
- liaising with the waste contacts
- paying for the disposal of hazardous waste generated by the day-to-day research and teaching activities of the University
- providing plastic waste containers to generators of waste
Contact
If you have a question about the disposal of hazardous waste at UTS, please contact Safety & Wellbeing on extension 1342.