Hazardous Materials

The Environmental Health & Safety Department (EHS) coordinates the pickup of unwanted chemicals from all UNM labs, studios, makerspaces, and maintenance shops. EHS takes everything from tiny vials of toxic pharmaceuticals to 55-gallon drums of ethanol to pallets of old paint. Simply fill out a Chemical Waste Pickup Request form and email it to us and we will pick it up. For waste mixtures (wastes not in original container), a Hazardous Waste Determination form must also be completed. Chemical waste pickups occur every Wednesday, typically between 9:30 a.m. and noon

Chemical Waste Pickup Request Process

  1. Label your chemical waste containers.
    • If the chemical is in its original container with the manufacturer’s label intact, and there are symbols or words on the label indicating the chemical is flammable, corrosive, reactive, and/or toxic, the chemical is considered hazardous waste. Add the words “HAZARDOUS WASTE” to the label. Handwritten is acceptable. Do not obscure the original label. You do not need to add another label.

    • If the chemical is NOT in its original container, or if it is a mixture of more than one chemical:
    • If the chemical is UNKNOWN, use the label template shown above with “UNKNOWN” in the contents section. Unknown chemicals must be tested by EHS or a vendor prior to being removed.

List all chemicals for pickup on the form. It is not necessary to list the manufacturer or brand of the chemical.

List unknown chemicals as “unknown”. Add as much detail as possible; for example, “unknown clear liquid” or “unknown white solid” is helpful.

You will receive an email from EHS notifying you of when the chemical waste will be picked up. Unknown chemicals may be left behind until they can be tested by a vendor.

Please note:

  1. Chemical waste containers must be labeled as described above as soon as the waste is added to the container; do not wait until a container is full and/or ready for pickup to add a label.
  2. Waste containers must be kept closed unless adding to them; do not leave a funnel in the mouth of any container.
  3. Liquid chemical waste should be stored in a spill tray.
  4. Chemical waste containers should be segregated according to compatibility.

FAQs:

  • Can I pour non-hazardous waste down the drain?
    • A good rule-of-thumb for what can and cannot go down a drain is this: if you wouldn’t drink it, then it should not go down the drain. There are exceptions. For example, the drain disposal of biological materials such as blood or cells in cell culture media that has been deactivated with bleach is a common and acceptable method to dispose of this material.
  • How do I dispose of boxes of broken glass?
    • Use packing tape or duct tape to seal the lid closed (make sure the flap for the opening is in place), then place the entire box in the main trash collection area of your building or place the entire box in a dumpster.
    • Use packing tape to seal the lid closed, then submit a Service Request to FM Recycling, https://fm.unm.edu/services/recycle.html, with instructions to pick up the full broken glass box.
    • Use packing tape to seal the lid closed, then drop off the broken glass box at FM Recycling. The link above contains their location information.
  • How do I dispose of old batteries?
    • If they are leaking, cracked, corroded, or bulging:
      • Submit a Hazardous Waste Pickup request.
    • If they are still good batteries that just have no juice in them:
      • Place the batteries in a strong bag or a sturdy box and drop them off at FM Recycling. There is no fee for this option.
      • Place the batteries in a strong bag or a sturdy box, label them as “For Recycling”, and place them adjacent to the recycling bins in your building. There is no fee for this option.
      • Submit a Service Request to FM Recycling, https://fm.unm.edu/services/recycle.html, with instructions to pick up the batteries.
  • How do I dispose of used light bulbs and fluorescent tubes?
    • Place the bulbs and/or tubes in a cardboard box, label the box with the information below, then drop the box off at FM Recycling:
      • Department, Building Name, Room Number(s)
      • Total number of bulbs in box
      • Date the 1st bulb was added to the box
    • Place the bulbs and/or tubes in a cardboard box, label the box with the information above, then submit a Service Request to FM Recycling, https://fm.unm.edu/services/recycle.html, with instructions to pick up the bulbs and/or fluorescent tubes.
    • If they are broken, please see the instructions for general broken glass disposal
  • How do I dispose of a sharps container?
    • Sharps that are contaminated with biological material must be placed inside a red sharps container that displays a label indicating it is biohazardous waste. The sharps container can be placed inside of or adjacent to a larger, red biohazardous waste bin. These bins are serviced by Clean Harbors.
    • Sharps that are contaminated with only chemicals must be placed inside a rigid, puncture-proof, leak-proof container that displays a label indicating it is hazardous waste. If using a red sharps container, make sure the biohazard symbol is covered by the hazardous waste label. Chemically contaminated sharps are not biohazardous.
  • How do I dispose of old computers and other electronic waste?
    • Surplus Property will pick up items qualified for disposal after the owners of these items have submitted a Surplus Property Request via their AppTree Inventory Assistant. For more information on this process, visit the AppTree website.
  • How do I dispose of empty printer cartridges?
    • Place the toner cartridge in a box (preferably the original box it came in) and drop it off at FM Recycling
    • Place the toner cartridge in a box, label it as “For Recycling”, and place the box adjacent to the recycling bins in your building.
    • Submit a Service Request to FM Recycling, https://fm.unm.edu/services/recycle.html, with instructions to pick up the box of toner cartridges.

If you have questions about chemical waste or chemical waste pickups, please contact EHS at 277-2753 or submit an email to chemsafety-L@list.unm.edu.