Proper disposal of waste

1
Proper disposal of waste

• The ABC of Animal Experiments 2008
• NLAC
• Kristiina Raatesalmi, Ph. D.

2
General waste legistlation

• Waste act (1072/1993), several amendments
• Waste degree (1390/1993)
• Ministry of the Environment Decree on the list of
  the most common wastes and hazardous wastes
  (1129/2001)
• Council of State Decision on information to be
  provided on hazardous waste and on the packing
  and labelling of hazardous waste (659/1996)

3
Purpose of the Waste Act

• to promote the rational use of natural resources
• to prevent the hazard and harm to health and the
  environment arising from wastes

4
Hierarchy

• 1. prevent waste
• 2. re-use waste materials
• 3. recycle or compost materials
• 4. recover energy from the materials
• 5. dispose of the waste in a landfill
• -safety!

5
No waste is best waste

• Long lasting and repairable products of good
  quality
• Reduction of harms induced by waste
• use less harmful chemicals
• Long-lasting development

6
Responsibility on waste disposal

• the owner/producer of waste is respopnsible
• waste or waste disposal must not cause danger or
  harm to the health and environment
• the waste must not be rejected
• the producer must know the composition of the
  waste and take care that the waste is handled
  properly

7
Duty to keep a record

• the producer of the waste must keep a record
• amount, sort, quality, origin of the waste
• characteristics and the effects on health and
  environment
• hazardous waste
• amount, sort, quality, origin of the waste
• place of delivery, date
• the way of transport, utilizing and handling
• removal records

8
Waste categories

• 1. infectious waste
• 2. GMO waste
• 3. carcasses
• 4. biological waste
• 5. sharp waste
• 6. chemical waste
• 7. multi-hazardous waste
• 8. bedding

9
Hazardous waste

• Waste that may cause harm or hazard to health or
  the
• environment because of its chemical or physical
  or some
• other property
• radioactive waste
• waste with danger of infection
• GMO waste
• waste with unknown hazard(s)

10
Infectious waste

• cultures, samples and stocks of infectious agents
• contaminated animals, materials and equipment
• Biological hazards
• bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi
• classes 2-4 pre-processing before waste disposal
• chemical disinfection
• autoclaving
• incineration (Ekokem)

11
GMO-waste

• www.geenitekniikanlautakunta.fi
• information on waste management
• Packaging
• pack in double plastic bags and seal with tape
• store in freezer in barrels
• Final disposal
• incineration (Ekokem)

12
Carcasses and biological waste

• dead laboratory animals, also biohazardous
• materials and equipment contaminated by blood or
  secretions
• Packing
• leak-proof plastic bags (2)
• storage in a freezer in barrels
• Final disposal
• Ekokem

13
Sharp waste

• Any sharp instrument that can penetrate skin or
  puncture
• waste bags (needles, knifes e.t.c.)
• Packaging
• leak-proof, puncture resistant plastic container
• Final disposal
• Ekokem

14
Radioactive waste

• regulated and guided by STUK
• Packaging
• mark appropriately primary radionuclides,
  activity, half-life
• mark danger of radiation
• Final disposal
• after completion of the storage period gt Ekokem
• if not completed (or high activity) gt STUK

15
Chemical waste

• Waste that has one or more of the following
  characteristics
• explosive
• oxidizing
• corrosive
• highly flammable/flammable
• irritating
• damaging
• very toxic/toxic
• ecotoxic
• carcinogenic
• teratotogenic
• mutagenic
• teratogenic

16
Material safety data sheet (MSDS)

• When ordering a new chemical ask for MSDS
• hazardous properties
• instructions for safe use (personal protect,
  first aid, fire fighting e.t.c.), storage,
  transportation and disposal

17
How to manage with hazardous waste?

• what is the danger?
• how to protect yourself?
• how to dispose?
• how to label?
• how to store?
• how to avoid dispersing
• clean and polluted equipment kept segregated

18
Correct sorting of chemical waste

• DO NOT MIX!
• flammable liquids
• acids
• bases
• oxidizing substances
• toxic substances (keep locked up)
• waste containing mercury, iodine or bromine
• cyanides, arsenics
• potassium, sodium, metallic phosphor
• highly reactive materials

19
Labelling chemical waste

• the name of the department and the contact person
• the composition of chemical waste
• the amount of chemical
• hazard symbols
• risk and safety phrases
• Use original containers if possible

20
Hazard symbols
Explosive E
Flammable F (highly flammable F
Oxidizing O
21
Toxic T Very toxic T
Corrosive C
Harmful Xn Irritant Xi
Harmful for the environment
22
Transportation containers

• Ekobox
• waste chemical in small packaging
• Barrel
• organic solvents
• medicines, contaminated packaging of chemicals
• animals in NLAC

23
Chemical waste

• Segregation and packing
• segregation of different waste
• storage in different cabinets/rooms
• Final disposal
• Ekokem

24
Drain disposal

• only liquids
• solid and viscous waste plugs up drains
• drain disposal of hazardous waste is prohibited
• infectious liquids must be decontaminated
• hazardous chemical waste lists, properties and
  limit values http//www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannoks
  et/1993/en19931390.pdf
• corrosive solutions must be neutralized before
  disposal (pH 6-11), diluted to max 5 gtACID
  DRAINflushing
• flammable or explosive solution must not be
  disposed into a sink or drain
• the dilution of substances for wastewater
  disposal is strictly prohibited

25
Multi-hazardous waste

• Combination of chemical, radioactive or
  biological hazards
• evaluation on an individual basis/on the greatest
  hazard
• Packaging
• all hazards must be taken into account
• Final disposal
• hazardous waste disposal plant (Ekokem) (or
  several different kinds of treatment)

26
Other waste

• Bedding (wood shavings)
• compostable if not infectious
• Energy waste
• plastic packaging, other combustible
• -no waste with food, no PVC, no aluminium
• Cardboard
• "browns", also brown envilopes
• FLATTEN THE BOXES!
• staples, paper clips and tapes are allowed

27

• Pasteboard
• packaging, plastic coated wrapping paper
• cartons of milk e.t.c. (also aluminium coated)
• Glass
• clear and coloured glassware (segregated)
• NO WINDOW GLASS, NO LABORATORY GLASS NOR
  CERAMICS!
• laboratory glass (heat resistant) is collected
  separately
• Biowaste
• - food leftovers, coffee filters, kitchen
  paper e.t.c.

28

• Metallics
• - metals dishes, tools, other small metal ware
  
• - metal tins
• In University of Kuopio
• NO METAL REAGENT CONTAINERS
• NO ALUMINIUM AND FOILS
• NO AEROSOLS AND LIQUID GAS BOTTLES
• NO ELECTRIC WIRES/CABLES, APPLIANCES
• NO ELECTRONICS

29
Paper recycling

• Paper for recycling
• newspaper and magazines
• envilopes, brochures
• White office paper
• copies, prints
• CONFIDENTIAL PAPER
• papers with personal and confidential data
• inside documents
• locked containers

30
Lanfilled waste

• non-recyclable, unsorted residual waste
• PVC-plastic
• NON-HAZARDOUS

31
Producer responsibility

• Obliges the producer to organize the re-use,
  recovery or suitable treatment of disposal of
  their products and to cover the related costs
• Producers responsibility covers
• electronics
• cars and compable vehicles
• tyres
• scrap furniture
• newspapers, other paper products, package
  materials