University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Always on the look out to save, EHS has helped to reduce waste in three key examples: By encouraging the change from traditional overhead lighting to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which contain minimal mercury and can be disposed of or recycled without input from EHS. By encouraging the use of Ethidium Bromide Filters, which can reduce hazardous waste contained in 5 gallon water solutions to 5 grams of waste in the filter. By installing a system of reuse for the largest bulk contribution of chemical inventory items (saline, acetone, and ethanol) through an on campus distillation system.

The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz (University) complies with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) RCRA hazardous waste regulations. The University’s Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS) is responsible for the tracking, managing, treating and disposing all hazardous and chemical wastes generated on University campuses (Denver and AMC). Chemical wastes are either treated on-site, re-distributed on site, or sent off site through an approved and permitted hazardous waste broker for incineration or, less frequently, RCRA permitted landfill disposal. The University of Colorado Denver | Anschutz holds a reverse distributor license from the DEA. All controlled substances are bulked and shipped for incineration under the Reverse Distributor license. All non-regulated hazardous materials that are prohibited from sink disposal are collected and either sent for incineration or landfilled at permitted facilities. Universal waste that can be recycled, are sent to recycling vendors or disposed as a hazardous waste (permitted landfill or incinerator). Biomedical hazardous or infectious wastes are either sent offsite for incineration (chemotherapy and pathological wastes) or sent offsite for autoclave treatment. Some un-regulated biological wastes are autoclaved on site. Radioactive waste are stored on site for half-life depletion or sent to permitted disposal facility. In summary, all hazardous chemicals and radioactive wastes that are managed or treated at the EHS facility, are either 1) distilled (solvents), 2) drummed for offsite disposal, 3) packaged in lab packs for offsite disposal, or 4) neutralized for discharge to the sanitary sewer system, or 5) held for appropriate half life periods prior to discharge or disposal and may be stored on site for longer than 90 days (radioactive and mixed radioactive-hazardous waste). Additional information can be found by downloading the ‘Hazardous Materials Management Plan’ from the website below.