University of the District of Columbia
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

UDC's Environmental Management Program provides guidance for identifying different waste types and their appropriate disposal methods. Any UDC employees that may potentially deal with hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste are advised by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety to consult the Environmental Management Program guidelines.

UDC's Environmental Management Program provides the following guidance on the safe disposal of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste: Chemical waste that is nonhazardous must be disposed of in accordance with University procedures depending upon the type of waste. Solid chemical waste that is nonhazardous (e.g., nonhazardous salts) can generally be disposed of with the regular trash. Nonhazardous liquid waste that is aqueous (e.g., salts in water) can generally be disposed of in the sink. However, nonhazardous liquid waste that is not soluble in water (e.g., oils) cannot be disposed of in the sink and should instead be collected by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety for off-site disposal/recycle. Chemical waste that is hazardous must be handled and disposed of in accordance with the procedures outlined in the remaining sections of this Chapter. As addressed in Section 4.4.1, UDC personnel may not discharge hazardous liquids (e.g., heavy metals in water, heavy metals in solvents, chlorinated solvents, non-chlorinated solvents, transformer fluid, corrosive materials) down any sink or drain into the municipal sewer system, with the exception of trace quantities associated with cleaning and washing operations. As discussed in Section 4.4.2, UDC personnel may not dispose of hazardous solids (e.g., mercury thermometers) as ordinary solid waste. All hazardous waste must be disposed of through the Office of Environmental, Health and Safety.