8.2 Chemical waste

All chemicals must be handled in accordance with the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). The details regarding disposal considerations and waste treatment methods are described in Section 13 of the SDS.

Basic principles for disposing of chemicals into the sewage system

1. All chemicals must be handled according to the information provided in Section 13 of the safety data sheet. Only when the safety data sheet explicitly permits it, can a chemical be poured into the sewer system, and even then, only with plenty quantities of water.
2. If there is no safety data sheet available for a specific chemical, do not pour it into the sewage.
3. Always read the chemicals hazard statements in Section 2 of the safety data sheets. Consider any protective measures necessary due to the chemical properties that might pose risks to personnel or the plumbing system in the laboratory.

In summary, only solutions that are undoubtedly harmless to personnel, water locks, sewer systems, plumbing, wastewater treatment processes, and aquatic organisms—both in the short and long term—may be added to the sewer system.

Products and chemicals that count as chemical waste

Materials and items that are contaminated with chemicals counts as chemical waste:

• Needles, syringes, razor blades, and broken laboratory glass
• NMR tubes, LC and GC vials containing solvents

These items must always be packed in a plastic container labeled with correct pictogram and put in an unlabeled cardboard box together with:

• Gloves, pipette tips, and disposable paper tissues should be included if they have been contaminated with chemicals.
• Any packaging materials that have been in contact with chemicals should also be placed in the same cardboard box.

The box and bag can be picked up at the janitors office.

Additional types of chemical waste:

• Workshop chemicals, e.g. glue, paint residues, oils
• Spray bottles containing residuals quantities
• Darkroom / photo chemicals, e.g. developer solutions, stop bath, fixer etc

Are also considered as chemical waste and will be packed for transportation by SYSAV. When making a risk assessment for chemical handling, it is crucial to include waste management practice as the foundation for handling chemical waste.

Aqueous and ether waste

Aqueous and ether waste should be stored at your division until collected by SYSAV. See “To schedule a collection” below.

Scintillation solution

Liquid scintillation solution is classified as chemical waste if:

• The solution does not contain alpha-radiant nuclides
• The solution contains only H-3 or C-14 and the activity in each waste container does not exceeds the values specified in the third column of appendix 1 to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority’s regulations SSMFS 2018:3. Additionally, the total activity in the waste submitted during one calendar month must not exceed ten times the values specified in the third column of appendix 1. The brown cardboard box with liquid scintillation solution classed as chemical waste must be specially labelled, see below.

The brown cardboard box with liquid scintillation solution classed as chemical waste must be specially labelled, see below. The label for scintillation solution can be printed out from Lund University's staff pages. 

Print out the label: Kemiskt avfall etikett - Staff pages.

Environmentally friendly and non-health hazardous substances

Environmentally friendly and non-health hazardous substances, including water-based solvents, inorganic acids, and bases, should be neutralized and disposed of by pouring them into the wastewater sewage system. If you lack the proper knowledge on how to do this, schedule a pick-up with SYSAV.

Other chemical waste

Waste containing mercury must be packed separately.

Waste containing heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, lead, arsenic must be packed separately.

All liquid heavy metal waste, should be kept in plastic containers, labelled with the type of solvent you use, the approximate concentrations of the heavy metals, pH for watery solutions, and finally labelled with correct CLP pictograms.

All chemical waste is stored at the department/division until collected by SYSAV. The waste containers must be stored in a designated area during the accumulation period.

Packing of waste chemicals

The waste will be packed for transportation by the waste handling company SYSAV.

The waste should be stored within your division until it is collected by SYSAV. See “To schedule a collection” below.

To schedule a collection of waste

Fill in the form for removal of chemical waste. The form is found on Waste, hazardous waste and recycling - Lund University Staff pages. The form is also available in Swedish on Avfall, farligt avfall och källsortering - Medarbetarwebben. 

Cans and bottles without label should be marked with this label for chemical waste, download it from 8.Waste handling - Kemicentrum Canvas page (login with Lucat).

SYSAV will contact you to schedule a pick-up. Typically, documentation is directly sent from SYSAV to EHS coordinator at Kemicentrum for filing. However, any documentation handed over to you must be saved within your division for 5 years for future reference.