Hazardous Waste - Chemicals

HAZARDOUS WASTE - CHEMICALS

OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE

Swansea University

Estates & Facilities Management

Singleton Park

Swansea

SA2 8PP

Tel 01792 295819

Fax 01792 295820

Duty of Care (Waste Management)

Purpose

To define Swansea University’s legal obligations and procedures associated with the storage, collection and disposal of used chemicals, solvents and other hazardous chemical substances.

Scope

This procedure applies to waste chemicals, solvents and other hazardous chemical substances generated by the University.

Definitions (ISO14001:2015)

Responsibilities

Related Documents

Relevant environmental aspects and associated environmental impacts are detailed within the Aspects and Impacts Register.

Duty of Care (waste management) – Operational Procedure.

Waste transfer notes and consignment notes are stored by the Waste & Recycling Officer or relevant department officer.

Duty of Care

Laboratory waste is considered hazardous when it contains properties that are harmful to human health and to the wider environment. The Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005 provide a definition of Hazardous Waste and specify the control measures necessary for proper waste management. Under the Environmental Protection Duty of Care Regulations 1991, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) imposes a cradle-to-grave shared responsibility on producers and other holders of waste for ensuring that controlled waste is always adequately described, and disposed of safely. This guidance deals with the disposal of chemical waste only.

The operational procedure ‘Duty of Care (waste management)’ outlines how waste should be managed.

Storage of waste

To comply with the Duty of Care Regulations the University must ensure that all waste is stored in such a way as to prevent escape or leakage whilst on site or in storage. The University must act to keep stored waste safe against:

1. corrosion or wear of waste containers;

2. accidental spilling or leaking or inadvertent leaching from waste unprotected from rainfall;

3. accident or weather breaking contained waste open and allowing it to escape;

4. waste blowing away or falling while stored or transported; and

5. scavenging of waste by vandals, thieves, children, trespassers or animals.

Responsibilities

Sustainability:

·  Appointing and managing a licensed Waste Disposal Contractor.

·  Co-ordinating the collection and subsequent disposal of chemical waste.

·  Carrying out Duty of Care checks.

·  Managing chemical waste documentation.

·  Notification and registration to the relevant authorities.

·  Provide advice on the classification of hazardous waste

PSUs/Colleges:

·  Must ensure they have a system in place for COSHH assessment of hazardous substances and that assessments identify the correct means of disposal.

·  Must ensure that chemicals are stored in suitable containers and are correctly and fully labelled for collection.

·  Take chemical waste to the appropriate chemical waste store for disposal (NB expect high risk chemicals – covered in point 2)

·  Must send fully completed chemical waste disposal request forms to Sustainability prior to taking chemical waste to the storage area. A paper copy of the form should be provided when taking the chemical waste to the store.

1.  Hazardous waste identification

Suppliers are legally required to provide safety data sheets (SDS); these provide information relating to the hazards posed by a substance and outline the recommended handling, disposal and storage measures. The COSHH assessment must record details of the disposal route and any special handling, storage and packaging requirements.

Table 1 outlines the hazardous properties set out by the revised Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) and may be used to identify which wastes are considered hazardous. Any material that may be contaminated with a hazardous substance becomes a hazardous waste itself and should be disposed of as such.

Further detailed guidance on hazardous waste classification and threshold limits for the different hazard classifications may be found in NRW’s Technical Guidance WM3: Waste Classification - Guidance on the classification and assessment of waste.

Hazardous waste mustNOT be put into the University's general waste collections, whether into an office bin, skip or recycling collection.

Table 1

2.  Hazardous chemical waste disposal procedures

Any chemical waste that needs to be disposed must be itemised on the Chemical Waste Disposal Form (Annex A).

The following information is requested

• General description of the waste.

• Hazard classification as outlined in Table 1 (e.g. H1, H2 etc)

• Volume/amount to be disposed of

• Type of packaging used

It must be stored in suitable containers and be fully labelled using the Swansea University Chemical Waste Label (Annex B). Colleges/ PSUs must ensure that containers are not overfilled. To aid with the disposal of solvent waste, there is a supply of disposable Winchesters and vented caps available from the Sustainability team. Winchesters should be filled to no more than 2/3rd to allow for expansion and a vented cap used to seal the container. Please contact if you require any supplies.

Contaminated solid waste paper, plastics, and other solid waste that may be contaminated with hazardous chemical substances should be securely packed in a suitable container. Solvent contaminated wipes and gloves should be bagged in a heavy duty red bin liner and sealed tightly shut. All waste must be correctly labelled to identify the contents, hazards, originator of the waste and the date.

Waste must be stored in a secure, fit for purpose area until the point of disposal.

Prior to taking the chemicals to the chemical waste store, Colleges/PSUs must email a copy of the completed chemical waste form to . Any chemical which is a serious risk to health e.g. toxic by inhalation should be highlighted on the disposal form and retained in the relevant laboratory. The Waste & Recycling Officer will make arrangements for chemicals of this nature to be collected directly from the laboratory when the chemist comes in to pack the chemicals ready for disposal.

A paper copy of the form should also be taken along to the chemical waste store where it will be checked off by the competent person receiving the waste as it is placed in the chemical waste store.

A suitably trained and competent person will oversee the receipt of waste into the waste store and will ensure that it is segregated according to chemical compatibility and is packaged in suitable, secure and chemically compatible containers (e.g. acids or bases are not in metal containers; or hydrofluoric acid in a glass container).

Disposals take place as follows:

.

All hazardous chemical waste must be disposed of via the University’s approved chemical waste contractor, in line with these procedures.

Empty containers/ bottles

Where possible empty containers/ bottles should be returned to the supplier e.g. Winchesters can be returned to Fischer Scientific. If there is a disposal requirement for any empty containers – they must be listed on the chemical waste form and taken to the chemical waste store. These containers should not be placed into the recycling or general waste bins in buildings or compounds.

3.  Waste Segregation

Chemical waste must be segregated according to compatibility and hazard classification. The objective is to keep substances with similar properties together as far as possible in order to avoid hazardous reactions should spillage or breakage occur, and to make the disposal easier.

When chemical waste is taken to the chemical waste store it will be stored by hazard classification and compatibility in line with guidance in HSG71 – Chemical Warehousing. Whilst the guidance is aimed at bulk storage the same principles apply for smaller quantities.

4.  Packing for disposal

The University’s appointed waste contractor is responsible for arranging a chemist to pack all chemical waste in preparation for transport from the University for disposal. In preparation for this all Colleges/ PSUs are responsible for ensuring that containers are clearly, permanently and correctly labelled.

All items should have a fully completed Swansea University Chemical Waste Label attached to them. Items that do not have a completed label will not be accepted into the waste store.

5.  Collection and disposal by University appointed waste contractor

A date and time for the collection and transport of the chemical waste is agreed with the Waste & Recycling Officer. All relevant documentation in preparation for transport and disposal is completed by the waste contractor and the consignment note is signed by the Waste & Recycling Officer/ relevant colleague from the Sustainability Team before the consignment leaves the University premises.

The waste contractor provides a completed consignment form with part E completed post disposal in line with the Duty of Care – Operational procedures.

Effects and Actions of Non Conformance

Failure to comply with this procedure may result in:

·  Non-conformance with the requirements of EcoCampus and the ISO 14001:2015 standard.

Departure from this procedure is addressed in the procedure 10.1 Non Conformance, Corrective and Preventive Action.

Version Control

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Annexe A

CHEMICAL WASTE DISPOSAL REQUEST FORM

Annexe B

CHEMICAL WASTE LABEL TO BE USED ON ALL CONTAINERS

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