Hazardous Waste

Listed Hazardous Wastes

These are specific wastes that are classified as hazardous in the regulations. These listed wastes are found in the four tables which have been reprinted in the appendix. Each listed waste has a hazardous waste number which starts with the letter "F", "K", "P" or "U."

• "F" Waste - waste that results from production or waste treatment process, are discarded chemical products or are contaminated with a specific chemical.
• "K" Waste - waste that results from specific production or waste treatment processes. The campus rarely has this type of waste.
• "P" Waste - waste chemicals that are considered acutely hazardous when discarded because they can be extremely dangerous to human health or the environment. Cyanides and arsenic as well as some pesticides are found in this table. "P" wastes are of particular concern on the UW-Green Bay campus since a small quantity of this waste can make the difference between our classification as a large quantity generator versus a small quantity generator.
• "U" Waste - waste which is considered toxic but not acutely hazardous. Examples include phenol, formalin, chlorobenzene, aniline dyes and carbon tetrachloride.

Characteristic Hazardous Waste

The majority of hazardous waste which the campus generates is characteristic hazardous waste. It is not included on any of the lists mentioned above but is considered hazardous because it exhibits one of the four characteristics mentioned below.

• Ignitable - a liquid with a flash point less than 140 Fahrenheit, an ignitable compressed gas or oxidizer or other material that can cause fire through friction absorption of moisture or spontaneous chemical changes. Common examples include used oil-based paint, used paint thinner, adhesives and mineral spirits.
• Corrosive - a water containing liquid with a pH less than or equal to 2.0 or greater than or equal to 12.5, or a liquid that corrodes plain carbon steel at a rate greater than 6.35 mm per year. Examples include waste rust removers and waste battery acids.
• Reactive - a waste that is normally unstable, readily undergoes violent changes without detonating, reacts violently with water, forms a potentially explosive mixture with water, or generates toxic gases or fumes when mixed with water or noncorrosive materials, is incapable of detonation or explosive reaction, or is a forbidden Class A or Class B explosive.
• Toxic - A waste is TC hazardous if (according to the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) it exceeds the regulatory levels for any of the eight metals, six pesticides or 25 organic chemicals listed in the appendix under toxic substances. This list includes metals like chromium, lead, mercury, silver and organic chemicals like benzene, chloroform, methyl ethyl ketone and butadiene.

If you have a waste which is listed in one of the tables or exhibits one of the characteristics mentioned above, do not place it in a dumpster for landfill. Hazardous waste must be shipped with the campus hazardous waste shipment. Contact the Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Manager at extension 2273, for proper disposal.

Empty Containers

Empty containers that formerly contained hazardous waste can be put in the dumpster for landfill. A container is empty if all waste has been removed by the methods commonly used to empty that type of container (e.g. pouring or pumping). In addition, the container must have less than one inch of waste remaining, or 3% or less by weight of waste remaining if the container holds 110 gallons or less or .3% or less by weight or waste remaining if the container holds more than 110 gallons. Containers that held acutely hazardous waste ("P" wastes) must be triple rinsed to be considered empty. Rinse water is considered hazardous if it has any of the characteristics mentioned above.

Mixtures

If you mix one gallon of a hazardous waste with one gallon of a nonhazardous waste you now have two gallons of hazardous waste and you have doubled the disposal costs. According to the mixture rule, nonhazardous waste that is mixed with listed hazardous waste is automatically hazardous waste. Therefore, do not mix your wastes. Dilution of characteristic hazardous waste to make it nonhazardous is considered treatment and is subject to regulatory requirements. The campus does not have a license to treat hazardous wastes. The only exception to the treatment restriction is simple neutralization which is discussed under sewer disposal.

Disposal of Hazardous Waste

If you are generating a waste that can neither be sewered or landfilled, you are generating a hazardous waste. Satellite accumulation is a regulatory term that refers to hazardous waste being collected by, and kept under the control of the person who generates it. Therefore, if you are generating and collecting hazardous waste you must adhere to the following satellite accumulation requirements until the waste is transferred to the Campus hazardous waste disposal facility:

• Clearly label waste containers and identify hazardous constituents as they are added to the container (e.g. "hazardous waste organic solvents, contains toluene and xylene"). Appropriate labels can be obtained from the University Safety Manager.
  Use only containers that are in good condition and made of, or lined with, a material that will not react with, or be incompatible with, the waste being stored.
• Keep the waste containers closed at all times, except when adding or removing waste; open funnels sitting in the opening of a waste container is considered an open container by regulatory agencies.
• Handle and store waste containers properly to prevent rupture or leakage.
• Do not mix hazardous waste with nonhazardous waste. Do not mix incompatible wastes.
• Know what is required of you by your Campus emergency response plan should a spill occur; keep suitable spill control equipment on hand and keep emergency phone numbers posted in your lab or work area. See the Emergency Response section of this guide for additional information.
• Once a container is full, date the container and contact the Environmental Health, Safety and Emergency Manager at extension 2273 to ensure the waste is transferred to the campus hazardous waste storage site within three days.

Waste Minimization

The EPA has broad powers to enforce waste minimization based on the Hazardous Solid Waste Amendments of 1984. As a small quantity generator, the campus certifies they have made a good faith effort to minimize waste generation each time a manifest is signed.

It's important that all persons and departments generating hazardous waste consider how they can contribute to the waste minimization effort. The goal is to either prevent the formation or production of pollutants at the source or reduce the amount of hazardous waste that is generated.

Basic waste minimization options include:

1. waste stream segregation
2. good housekeeping
3. inventory control/ordering chemicals in smaller containers
4. material substitution
5. using smaller scale
6. modifying specific experiments

If you have (or will be doing) any waste minimization, please contact Scott Piontek at extension 2273 or at pionteks@uwgb.edu to document your efforts.