Hazardous Material Safety

What is hazardous waste?

Hazardous waste is unwanted or discarded hazardous materials that may harm the health or well-being of people or the environment. The basic waste types are:

• Chemical
• Radioactive
• Biohazardous

To ensure safe disposal and minimize environmental impact, it's best to keep these categories separate. Mixing them can lead to complex and costly disposal processes. Remember, segregating hazardous from non-hazardous waste is key.

Any hazardous waste that needs to be identified, or removed can be done by contacting:

Any hazardous waste that needs to be identified or removed can be done by contacting Campus Safety at safety@uthsc.edu or 901.448.6115.

What is chemical waste?

Chemical waste is any waste that is toxic, corrosive, ignitable, reactive, or otherwise listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This includes laboratory chemicals, cleaning products, paint, copier toner, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, electronic devices, photographic and shop chemicals. If you are unsure whether the waste you generate is hazardous, please contact Campus Safety.

Certain expired and unusable chemicals are hazardous waste and subject to regulations. Watch for expiration dates on containers of peroxide-forming chemicals including ethers.

What about radioactive waste?

If your waste has a radioactive component, please visit Research Safety's training page for assistance and required training. 

Campus Protocol

At UT Health Science Center, hazardous material use is overseen by Campus Safety in collaboration with the Research Safety department. Our team is here to support you through:

• Education on proper handling
• Minimization strategies
• Safe disposal methods
• Recycling programs for lamps and batteries (Universal Wastes)
• Spill response protocols 

Research Safety Department

Working alongside Campus Safety ensures that campus facilities remain secure environments compliant with regulations. The services extended by Research Safety include:

• Training for managing hazardous materials
• Lab safety training
• Chemical safety inspections
• Maintenance of chemical inventories

Moreover, they oversee the Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) program under the Institutional Biological Safety Officer's leadership. RMW (aka “biohazardous waste”) must be managed with great care due to its potential infectious nature—it must be disposed of properly to avoid health risks.

RMW must be contained in sturdy containers lined with red biohazard bags. Sharp objects need their own special sharps containers. For detailed protocols regarding biological agents and RMW management, consult the Regulated Medical Waste Policy and Biological Safety Manual.

For additional information or if you have any questions, please visit the Research Safety page.