One of the on going challenges for laboratories is the many different waste regulations associated with materials no longer of use in labs. Wastes with random mixes of biological, chemical, sharps, radiation, animal parts, etc. components frustrate everyone in determining what is the most practical legal disposal method for a particular material. And these solutions are likely to vary from location to location depending on local resources and regulations.

One idea I have for addressing this situation is developing a laboratory waste plan template that would help laboratory workers describe the materials they are ready to dispose of in a way that leads them to the best alternative for getting rid of, for example, environmental bacteria which have been fed uranyl acetate (this week's highlight so far). I wonder if anyone in CHAS land has developed such a template for their institution? At first blush, it seems like an interactive flowchart on a web platform would be the kind of thing I'm thinking about, but so far I haven't seen something that appears suitable for this application. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

- Ralph


Ralph Stuart CIH
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
Cornell University

rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu