Broken Glassware Disposal

Broken Glassware Disposal
Glassware must not be disposed of with normal trash. Building Services Personnel and others have been
injured when carrying trash bags with broken glassware in them.
• Several cuts or lacerations due to the improper disposal of laboratory glassware have been
reported on the campus. In an effort to eliminate or minimize these injuries, certain procedures
will be followed when discarding broken or unserviceable glassware.
• Broken glassware should immediately be cleaned up. A laboratory should already have a small
brush and dust pan available to clean up after small accidents. Forceps or duct tape can be used
to pick up the smaller pieces of broken glass.
• Discarded glassware must not contain any hazardous wastes, Medical Waste, Pathological
Waste or Radiological Wastes.
• If the glassware contains hazardous wastes or Radiological Wastes, please call complete the
Hazardous Waste Disposal form.
• If the glassware contains or is contaminated with any pathological or biological materials, call
ext. 2862 for disposal instructions.
What you need to know:
• Discarded glassware must be placed in a small puncture proof, double-lined cardboard box or a
container specifically designed for the disposal of glassware
• The box must be securely sealed with tape.
• Any cardboard box may be used, provided it is sturdy and of a size that will not weigh more than
40 pounds when full.
• The container must be labeled as to the contents.
o CAUTION LABORATORY GLASSWARE ONLY!
o NO HAZARDOUS WASTE, MEDICAL WASTE, PATHOLOGICAL WASTE OR RADIOLOGICAL
WASTES
o Complete Broken Glassware Disposal Form
• Never allow Custodial Services to handle broken glassware.
• Never use laboratory glassware boxes for the disposal of
o Sharps
o Biohazardous materials
o Liquid wastes
o Chemically contaminated laboratory glassware/plastics or plastic-ware
o Chemical containers that can’t be disposed of as regular solid waste
Glassware must not be disposed of with normal trash. Building Services Personnel and others have been
injured when carrying trash bags with broken glassware in them.
Laboratory glass that is disposed of in cardboard boxes must be appropriately decontaminated, where
necessary, prior to disposal. If you have any questions about this disposal procedure, please contact
Environmental, Health and Safety for additional information or instructions.
Empty Containers
Empty containers of five (5) gallons or less may be placed in dumpsters if they meet the definition of the
Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) empty container rule.
Any container that previously held a hazardous chemical or waste is defined as empty if:
• No hazardous materials can be poured, pumped or drained from the container, AND,
• No hazardous materials remain in the container that can be feasibly removed, AND,
• the walls of the container must not contain any significant residual materials, AND,
• The label is removed or defaced, AND,
• The lid is removed, AND,
• The container is placed directly into a dumpster.
Triple-rinsing is not required to comply with the RCRA empty container definition