Laboratory waste

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• Waste sorting/Waste management of non-contaminated material
• Biological waste, non-infectious
• Infectious waste
• Antibiotics (in e.g. cell cultures and bacterial cultures)
• GMM
• Radioactivity
• Hazardous waste
• Chemical waste
• Storage (interim storage prior to destruction)

Waste from laboratory activities must be classified by the user, destroyed if necessary, packaged, labelled and stored so that safe handling can take place. Sorting routines, storage locations and procedures for waste disposal may vary between different departments, so check what internal routines your workplace has and also procured waste management agreements (Contact persons).

However, the purpose of the waste management procedure is always to ensure that waste management is carried out in a safe manner for employees and students and for handlers after the waste leaves Linnaeus University. Waste management must also be carried out in an environmentally acceptable manner and comply with applicable legislation.

Waste sorting/Waste management of non-contaminated material

Everyone who works on Linnaeus University premises is responsible for leaving their waste in the correct container.

The university's general information about waste can be found here.

Biological waste, non-infectious

Sharps waste (non-infectious)

All smaller sharp objects should be placed in small (0.5-3 litre) hazardous waste containers. These and larger items are then placed in yellow plastic waste boxes with lids which are then sent for incineration.

Infectious waste

Infectious waste includes microorganisms, such as agar plates with bacteria, cell cultures, human blood and materials that have come into contact with these.

Infectious sharps waste is placed in a yellow bin, sealed and placed in the freezer. Ragnsells then picks it up.

For handling blood, see the procedure for "Handling human blood and blood products" on the Biosafety page.

Infectious solid material must, if there is no possibility of inactivation/decontamination on site (see below), be collected in yellow plastic boxes marked with a completed thermal label "Infectious waste". For ordering plastic boxes, labels, transport and destruction, see your department/unit's internal documents and the university's procured waste management company.

Primarily, infectious materials are placed in autoclavable biohazard bags which are then autoclaved. After autoclaving, it must be clear that the material has been sterilised, either by means of autoclave tape or text on the packaging, and can then be packed in a standard bin bag and disposed of as combustible waste.

Solid waste that has only come into contact with well-characterised cell cultures that are not genetically modified or infected can be considered as normal laboratory waste.

Antibiotics (in e.g. cell cultures and bacterial cultures)

Emissions of antibiotics risk reaching the ecosystem as Swedish waste water treatment plants do not have effective treatment of antibiotics and pharmaceutical residues. In order not to contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance, it is important to avoid pouring liquids containing antibiotics down the drain.

Antibiotics in powder form and larger quantities of solutions that contain antibiotics are handled as chemical waste and collected in a yellow plastic box.

Some antibiotics are destroyed by autoclaving or boiling and can then be poured out. Examples include gentamicin, neomycin, streptomycin, geneticin, fungizone/amphotericin, erythromycin and tetracycline.

A clear list should be available at each autoclave indicating which antibiotics are autoclavable and which are not destroyed by autoclaving and must therefore be disposed of in the yellow bin.

Some antibiotics are not broken down during autoclaving. Examples include kanamycin, ciprofloxacin, vancomycin, zeomycin, and zeozin. These are collected and treated as chemical waste.

Cell culture media and similar substances containing antibiotics where the living cells have not been killed or where infectious material may be present should be handled as ‘sharps infectious waste’ and placed in yellow boxes.

GMM

All materials containing GMMs must be decontaminated before being discarded or washed for reuse. This can be done by autoclaving or other methods (e.g. chemical agents) which, at the time of the application for authorisation, have already been shown to effectively kill the agent in question. The sterilisation must take place as close to the source as possible. Once the waste has been sterilised, it can usually be disposed of in the combustible waste or poured down the sink. Waste management is approved by the Swedish Work Environment Authority in connection with the notification or permit application.

Radioactivity/radiation protection

Rules of conduct and local radiation protection regulations must be in place for all work involving radioactive materials and waste. General rules for Linnaeus University can be found on the radiation protection page.

All radiation work must be coordinated with the radiation protection contact person at Linnaeus University. Requirements regarding the management of radioactive waste may be found in SSMFS 2018:1.

Waste is collected in hazardous waste boxes labelled with a signature, contents and date and placed in a special depletion room. All radioactive waste, solid and liquid, leaving the facility must be documented.

Scintillation fluid (which must not be destroyed by the unit) is collected in tightly sealed containers, labelled with contents, activity, department and name, and placed in a special depletion room. See the procedure for your department. NB: always notify the radiation safety officer that there is scintillation fluid to be sent for destruction.

Hazardous waste

What is considered hazardous waste is specified in the Waste Ordinance (2020:614), marked with an asterisk (*) in Appendix 3. Examples include chemical waste, acids and bases, many heavy metals and transition metals, solvents, paint, adhesives and sealants containing organic solvents, developing fluids and fixing baths, hydraulic oils, petrol, as well as batteries, low-energy light bulbs and fluorescent tubes containing mercury, electronic products containing hazardous components such as mercury switches, glass from cathode ray tubes and other activated glass.

It is important that waste is stored safely pending final disposal. It is important to label containers, bins or similar items that contain waste. Hazardous waste must not be mixed or diluted with other types of hazardous waste, other waste or other substances or materials.

Anyone who runs a business where hazardous waste is produced must keep records for each type of hazardous waste about how much waste is produced each year and who the waste is sent to for further handling. From 1 August 2020, an extended recording obligation came into force, which means that from 1 November 2020, the records must be reported to a new waste register at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. Waste Ordinance 2020:614 Section 11: Anyone who is required to keep records shall submit the information on hazardous waste recorded in accordance with Sections 1-5 to the waste register. The information shall be submitted electronically no later than two working days after the date on which the entry is to be made or compiled in accordance with Sections 1-5 and in accordance with regulations issued pursuant to Section 18.

To order transport and destruction of hazardous waste, please refer to your department/unit's internal documents and the university's contracted waste management company.

Chemical waste

Waste from chemical products must not be poured down the drain or disposed of with conventional waste if it poses a health hazard or accident risk, e.g. through corrosion, the formation of harmful vapours or gases, fire or explosion. Nor if the product causes disturbances in purification processes or poses a danger to the environment. This means that most chemical products must be disposed of as chemical waste. Chemical waste may only be handled by companies that have the necessary permits from the county administrative board.

The responsibility for ensuring that waste ends up in the right place lies with the producer of the waste. The basic rule is that a chemical product labelled with a hazard pictogram should be treated as hazardous waste, for example toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, teratogenic, environmentally hazardous, infectious or flammable (see under the heading Hazardous waste).

Storage (interim storage prior to destruction)

Chemical waste is packaged or sealed in a suitable container/packaging. Wet waste is placed in a bucket or container with a tight-fitting lid and liquids are collected in a bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Containers must be clearly labelled with their contents, concentration (if possible), department and name, and placed in special chemical cabinets in temporary storage rooms until collection of hazardous waste has been ordered. (See procedure for your department)

When reusing empty chemical containers for storing residual waste, the containers must first be cleaned to avoid unwanted chemical reactions and all old labels must be removed so that there is no confusion about the contents. Waste containers must be suitable for the waste to be stored in them. For example, fluoride solutions should not be stored in glass bottles, while strongly oxidising substances such as concentrated nitric acid should not be stored in plastic bottles. Waste bottles for peroxide-forming substances must be made of dark glass and stored in a dark, cool place.

The basic rule is that different types of chemicals should not be mixed. However, in experiments/laboratory work where solutions are mixed, these can be disposed of in the same waste container. Don't forget to label the contents of the container.

Halogenated solvents must be collected separately because the waste must be disposed of and treated separately from other solvents.

Solvent waste that can form peroxides, such as ethers and tetrahydrofurans, must not be mixed with other solvent waste.

For interim storage, ordering of transport and destruction of chemical waste, please refer to your department/unit's internal documents and the university's contracted waste management company.