Classification of special laboratory waste

Organic liquid products containing more than 2% of any halogen.

Within this group, waste is differentiated between:

• halogenated solvents (chloroform, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene, etc.),
• halogenated organic solids (bisbenzimide, dichlorofluorene, methyl methacrylate, etc.) and
• halogenated organic acids (halogenated mixtures with an acid content of more than 10%, such as mono-, di- and trichloroacetic, tri-fluoroacetic acids, etc.).

Flammable organic liquids with less than 2% halogens.

Within this group, waste is differentiated as follows

• non-halogenated solvents such as alcohols (ethanol, ethylene glycol), aldehydes (grutaraldehyde, acetaldehyde), nitriles (acetonitrile), aliphatic hydrocarbons (hexane),
• non-halogenated organic solids (potassium acetate, anthracene, diphenylamine, naphthalene, etc.) and
• non-halogenated organic acids (non-halogenated mixtures with an acid content of more than 10%, such as acetic acid, benzoic acid, EDTA, glycine, etc.).

Aqueous solutions of dyes (methyl orange, phenolphthalein), organic fixatives, aqueous effluents from chromatography, or highly diluted acidic aqueous organic solutions (e.g. water + methanol + acetic acid).

Solutions containing inorganic metallic and non-metallic compounds. This group includes fixatives from the photographic development process, collected separately if they are generated in significant quantities. Within this group, waste is differentiated into different recipients between:

• Heavy metals, such as arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, etc., except those classified as CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction).
• Other metals (sulphates, phosphates and carbonates of alkaline or alkaline earth metals),
• Non-metallic inorganic compounds (sulphates, phosphates and carbonates of non-metallic inorganic compounds).

Inorganic acids and their aqueous solutions, such as hydrochloric acid, glacial acetic acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid, etc., differentiating between

• concentrated acids (concentrations above 10%),
• dilute acids (acid concentration less than 10%) and
• acidic solutions of heavy metals (with an acid concentration of more than 10%, since if it is lower, it corresponds to the group of inorganic compounds).

This group includes photographic processing liquids, collected separately if they are generated in significant quantities.

Bases and their solutions, differentiating between:

• oxides and hydroxides (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, etc.), and
• ammonium compounds (ammonium carbonate, ammonium chloride, etc.).

Mineral oils derived from maintenance operations, general service of vacuum pumps, heating baths, etc.

This group includes liquid or solid chemical products which, due to their dangerousness or toxicity, require special handling, are not included in the other groups, and must be collected separately from each other, as for example

• oxidising agents (peroxides, hyperperoxides, peroxyethers, chromic acid, metallic nitrates, and any product with the corresponding pictogram on the label),
• explosives (ammonium, silver or copper nitrates, picric acid, acrylic acid, and any product with the corresponding pictogram on the label),
• pyrophoric compounds (metallic magnesium, phosphorus, etc.),
• compounds highly reactive to water (alkali metals, fuming acids, phosphorus pentoxide acid chlorides, etc.), or to air (phosphorus, powdered metal magnesium, etc.),
• lethal compounds (all those which, in accordance with Regulation (EC) 1272/2008, are classified with the danger phrases H300, H304, H310 or H330, such as osmium tetroxide, inorganic cyanides, mercury, PCBs, etc.) , i
• unidentified compounds.

Obsolete reagents that cannot be reused will be kept in their original packaging and managed as waste from this specific group.

Solid materials of all kinds contaminated with chemical products, such as filters from gas showcases (separately), impregnated absorbents, masks or masking filters, gloves, filter paper, etc.

This group also includes waste from the process of photographic development (photographic paper, negatives, film, etc.), and
the ones generated in the artistic creation workshops (rags and papers impregnated with solvents or paints).

Plastic containers and glass bottles contaminated with residues of hazardous chemicals, which are not broken.

It corresponds to group III of Decree 27/1999. Includes all genetically engineered biological material, and waste contaminated with biological agents: blood and blood products in liquid form, secretions of human origin, cell cultures of animal or plant origin, cultures of micro-organisms or tissue samples, non-spiked material (petri dishes, vials, instruments, etc.), live and attenuated vaccines, etc. Also the biosafety cabin filters, which are collected separately.

Chemical or biological contaminated material that is sharp or cutting (pipettes, syringes, needles, scalpel blades, slides, coverslips, glass capillaries and tubes, broken reagent glass containers, etc.) is collected in the yellow chemo-boxes.

It corresponds to group IV of Decree 27/1999. Includes all waste contaminated by any product or liquid or solid compound that is classified as carcinogenic category 1 and 2, or mutagenic category 1 and 2, in Annex I of Royal Decree 363/1995 modified by Order PRE/1244/2006, and all waste that carries the phrases H340, H341, H350, H351, H360 or H361 in the safety data sheet.

Examples: arsenic and its inorganic compounds, cadmium, nickel, zinc chromates, chromium (VI) compounds, chromic mixture, vinyl chloride, ethidium bromide, acrylamide gels, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, benzene, hydrazine, tetrachloroethylene, diaminobenzidine, propidium iodide, etc., and contact materials (gloves, slides, vials, pipettes, etc.), traces of cytotoxic medicinal products, and contaminated cultures or samples.