Spring
cleaning?
Tips for removing chemicals
By Carrie Jacobson
South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Has your school been putting off “spring cleaning”?
Whether it’s the chemistry lab
or your custodian’s closet, every
school has materials that need to be disposed of. But
you may not have the expertise to do it. The South
Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources’
Waste Management Program offers the following tips to
ensure that waste materials are safely managed and made
ready for disposal.
-
Inventory: Prepare a list of the materials you wish to
dispose of. Include the label name, container size,
amount of material in the container, and condition of
the container.
-
Contain:
Make sure that any chemical stored in a container that
is in poor condition is placed in another secure
container. It’s not necessary to remove the chemical
from its original container. Simply place the older
container within a larger one that is in good condition
and compatible with the chemical.
-
Store
Safely: Place compatible chemicals together, on a set of
shelves or in a suitable container for safe onsite
storage. Do not physically organize your chemicals in
alphabetical order. Even though this may seem
logical, it may result in fire or explosion should two
incompatible chemicals co-mingle.
-
Review:
Determine whether another teacher, even one in another
district, could use any of the chemicals on your list.
If the material is still in good condition and can be
used for its intended purpose (and another school is
willing to accept it), the material will not be
considered a waste.
-
Neutralize: Some acids and bases can be safely
neutralized onsite and flushed into the sewer system.
Extreme caution must be taken. If school personnel feel
comfortable performing the neutralization themselves, we
suggest also working with local wastewater treatment
plant officials to ensure adequate water volumes are
used for the process. Other valuable resources to tap
include your local HazMat and fire department officials.
All of these individuals have been trained and routinely
work with chemicals, and may be of assistance to school
personnel when neutralizing chemicals.
-
Dispose:
This final step generally requires the assistance of a
hazardous waste management contractor. These individuals
have the expertise to identify unknown chemicals,
package the chemicals according to compatibility and
hazard category to ensure the wastes can be safely
transported off-site. Schools in close proximity, or
even not so close, may wish to use the same contractor.
A contactor may do a “milk run” and service a number of
schools in one trip, saving transportation costs for
all.
Click here for a list of contractors who have indicated
their availability to service schools in South Dakota.
-
Be sure
to maintain a copy of your chemical inventory list, as
well as shipping manifests that accompanied the off-site
transportation of your unwanted chemicals.
Once your
“spring cleaning” has been completed, it’s time to think
about preparing purchasing guidelines for all staff to
follow in the future. These guidelines might focus on 1)
minimizing the amount of chemicals purchased, 2) keeping up
on changes that may apply to school chemical cleanouts, and
3) conducting annual inspections of areas where chemicals
are used.
For more information, please contact DENR’s hazardous waste
program staff at (605) 773-3153. In addition, a list of
online resources appears below.
|
