B. Nonhazardous Waste
Nonhazardous Waste – Wastes that are not hazardous waste under RCRA law but still pose a hazard. All nonhazardous waste must be collected by EHS. Determining whether an item is a “Nonhazardous” or can be disposed of as municipal waste or down the drain requires the generator to evaluate an item’s safety data sheet (SDS). Below are things to consider when determining whether a material is a nonhazardous waste or not. If your waste material contains multiple constituents, make determinations on each individual item contained within the waste. Any waste that has been determined to be disposable as municipal waste or down the drain must first be cleared by EHS.
TCEQ Class 1 – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has set a broader set of conditions for an item’s hazard characteristics to be considered a regulated waste item. Below are the conditions to be considered in order to be a regulated waste in the state of Texas.
- Contains at least 1 of the following: click here for list [make searchable by CAS and/or name, excel file saved]
- Ignitable
- Flash point less than 65.6 ◦C or 150 ◦F
- A solid or semi-solid material that is capable of catching fire under normal storage conditions and then burns vigorously and persistently enough to be a hazard TCEQ gives example list here [excel file saved]
- Corrosive
- Solid or semisolid that when mixed with an equal amount of distilled water generates a solution with pH less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5
- Contains recoverable cyanides
Regulatory Information portion of Safety Data Sheets (section 15) – There are many things to consider from this section so please be patient with evaluating this section. If you answer “Yes” to any of these questions, this waste will be a regulated waste.
- Is the material listed as a hazardous material under CERCLA (40 CFR 302)?
- Does the material have a reportable quantity (RQ)?
- Is the material listed as a marine pollutant?
DOT – Please refer to section 14 of a material’s SDS for this information
- If a waste material contains any chemicals that are regulated by DOT, then it must be collected by EHS for appropriate waste disposal
SARA – Please refer to section 15 of a material’s SDS for this information
- If a waste material contains any chemical listed under SARA 311, 312, or 313, then it must be collected by EHS for appropriate waste disposal
- SARA 311 and 312 are under Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and are known as the Hazardous Chemical Inventory Reporting Requirements
- SARA 313 is under EPCRA and is known as the Toxic Chemical Release Inventory
CERCLA – Please refer to section 15 of a material’s SDS for this information
- If a waste material contains any chemical listed under Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), then it must be collected by EHS for appropriate waste disposal
Ethidium bromide
- All items containing ethidium bromide must be picked up by EHS for disposal. This includes:
- Gels
- Solutions
- Contaminated items such as gloves, pipette tips, paper towels, etc…