Hazardous Waste Reporting
What Are Hazardous Wastes?
All materials listed in the Dangerous Goods Handling and Transportation Act are hazardous wastes once they are discarded. In addition. many dilute wastes containing listed dangerous goods are classified as hazardous wastes.
The onus is on individuals and departments to determine whether or not they are producing hazardous wastes. This can be accomplished by analyzing the waste streams, referring to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), or contacting the Lab Safety Officer (204.789.1439) for recommendations or advice.
Examples of some of the hazardous wastes generated on campus include:
- batteries (acid and alkaline)
- laboratory process wastes
- lamp ballasts containing PCB (which have been taken out of service)
- paint wastes
- preserved and unpreserved animals or tissue, animal and plant preservative solutions
- printing and photographic process wastes
- refrigerants
- sharps (which have been in contact with human animal tissue, blood, excretions, or secretions)
- spent solvents
- surplus laboratory chemicals
- waste oils
Why Is This Issue So Important?
It is important that hazardous wastes do not end up in sewers and municipal landfills which are not equipped to handle such wastes. Such practices cause long term environmental effects such as contaminated surface and ground water. It also creates hazards for employees, sewer workers, and sanitary crews.
Harmonization of our internal disposal procedures with the federal, provincial, and municipal laws will also minimize financial risk and liabilities for our University.
What Do I Do With Hazardous Waste?
Report hazardous wastes to the Manager, Safety and Health (204.786.9894). Do not remove waste from its original storage location. Someone from the Safety Office will advise you what to do with each waste once it has been assessed.
Disposals are scheduled throughout the year. The principal chemical disposals occur during the February "Reading Week" and again in August.
How Do I Report Hazardous Wastes?
Simply fill out this form and mail it to the Safety Office. Please ensure that each waste is appropriately contained and labeled. A workplace label is used to identify bulk waste in a container. When hazardous wastes are combined, a tag should be used to identify each component of the hazardous waste mixture. A workplace label is used to communicate the hazards associated with the mixture. Unique bar code labels are then applied to every container of hazardous waste.
What Happens To Hazardous Wastes Which Are Reported?
The Health and Safety Office applies the 4 R's of Waste - Reduction, Reuse, Recycling, and Recovery. We can also help you assess your hazardous waste problems and recommend solutions.
What Else Can I Do?
Almost all hazardous wastes are amenable to some form of waste reduction. Many waste minimization practices require little or no capital.
The place to start is to determine the type and magnitude of the hazardous wastes you generate and consult the Safety Office. The Health and Safety Office pays the costs for most hazardous waste disposal on campus on behalf of the University. We are interested in providing assistance to minimize hazardous wastes and disposal costs.