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Biological Safety

LABORATORY WASTE STREAMS

CATEGORY	DESCRIPTION	CONTAINER	LOCATION	HANDLING	ROUTING
Broken Glass	Non-contaminated* broken glass, plastic serological pipettes, plate glass, pyrex, light bulbs	Tall cardboard container with heavy plastic liner	Corridor and/or Lab	Removed by custodial staff when full	Solid Waste (not recyclable)
Sharp Plastic
Non-recyclable Glass
Empty Chemical Containers	Intact, clean triple-rinsed glass and plastic (#1 and #2) containers; recyclable without caps	Special plastic bucket with half lid	Corridor	Removed by custodial staff when full	Recyclable
Lab Trash	Non-contaminated* gloves, bench paper, packaging materials, foil, plastic bags, paper towels, weighing boats, bottle caps, fly media, fly plates (with or without media); tubes (with or without media), filter flasks	Standard waste can with liner	Lab	Removed by custodial staff when full	Solid Waste

Regulated Medical Waste
All sharps	All Pasteur and other glass pipettes, needles, syringes, scalpel blades, razor blades, slides, coverslips	Labeled sharps container	Lab	Placed in medical waste boxes by lab occupants	Medical Waste
Other Medical Waste	Experimentally cultured stocks,plates or other materials meeting New Jersey definition (See ** below) Ethidium bromide gels	Standard medical waste box with red plastic liner	Lab	Sealed and placed in corridor by lab occupants	Medical Waste

Chemical Waste
Non-Hazardous Chemical Liquids	Chemicals on Non-Haz List Buffer solutions, liquid media and broths, corrosive solutions neutralized to pH - 7	Temporary containment	Lab	Drain disposal to sanitary sewer	Waste Water
Non-Hazardous Chemical Solids	Chemicals on Non-Haz List Enzymes, proteins, stains, buffer salts, dyes, media and broth solids, carbohydrates, long-chained fatty acids and polymers.	Loose powders contained in a sealable bag or container Standard waste can with liner	Lab	Removed by custodial staff when full	Solid Waste
Hazardous Chemical Waste - Solids and Liquids	Gas cylinders, chemicals exhibiting flammable, reactive, corrosive or toxic characteristics. Solvents, acids, bases, water & air-sensitive materials , heavy metals	Closed container that is compatible with the waste	Lab	Removed by lab per waste pickup schedule	Hazardous Waste

* Non-contaminated applies to any material not having been in contact with an infectious agent. The New Jersey Regulated Medical Waste regulations define infectious agent as “any organism (such as a virus or a bacteria) capable of being communicated by invasion and multiplication in body tissues and capable of causing disease or adverse health impacts in humans”.

** Other Regulated Medical Waste - Any solid waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals , in the following categories: cultures and stocks (of infectious agents and associated pathological wastes, human blood and blood products, sharps (used or unused), animal waste (contaminated animal carcasses and animal bedding exposed to agents infectious in humans).

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