Biological Waste Guide

Laboratory Waste Disposal Guide

Use this guide to determine the appropriate disposal procedures for laboratory waste outside of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Consult any permits (APHIS, PPQ, CDC, etc.)held by the lab for waste handling guidance and comply with those requirements should they be more stringent than the guidance presented here.


Type of Item:	Laboratory waste contaminated with the following (see definitions below):
Type of Item:	Biohazards ^A	Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid (r/sNA) ^B	Other Biological ^C	Chemical ^D	Chemotherapeutics^E
Regulated Sharps: (Syringes with needles, scalpel blades, glass blood vials, glass Pasteur pipettes)	Red Sharps Disposal Container into Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) Bin				Yellow Sharps Disposal Container into RMW Bin
Other Sharps:¹ (Serological pipettes, micropipette tips, swaps, sticks, glass slides, coverslips, glass vials with agar slant, broken or intact glassware or plasticware, razor blades, syringes without needles)	Red Sharps Disposal Container into RMW Bin	Red Sharps Disposal Container into RMW Bin ----------OR----------- Puncture Resistant Container Autoclave, then into Regular Trash	Puncture Resistant Container into Regular Trash		Yellow Sharps Disposal Container into RMW Bin
Disposable Non-Sharps: (Intact plasticware, plastic Petri dishes with agar, gloves, disposable gowns, bench paper, paper towels, animal bedding)	Red Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin	Red Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin ----------OR---------- Clear Bag Autoclave, then into Regular Trash	Clear Bag into Regular Trash		Yellow Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin
Plant Materials: (Plants, soil, potting media)	Red Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin	Red Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin ----------OR----------- Autoclave, then Into Regular Trash or Compost	Regular Trash or Compost - If regulated plant material, autoclave or otherwise inactivate before disposal.	Consult hazardous waste manual or Contact EHS	Yellow Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin
Carcasses and Tissues: Paraffin blocks with fixed tissue can be disposed of directly to trash For human cadaver waste contact EHS	Red Biohazard Bag into RMW or Designated Carcass Bin	Clear Bag into RMW or Designated Carcass Bin		Consult hazardous waste manual Or Contact EHS	Yellow Biohazard Bag into RMW Bin
Liquid Waste:³ (Liquid media and cultures aspirated or decanted from flasks and dishes, body fluids)	Treat with disinfectant (e.g., 1:10 dilution of household bleach) or Autoclave, then dispose down the drain with a large volume of water			Consult hazardous waste manual or Contact EHS
Mixed Wastes: (Hazardous chemicals mixed with biohazard waste, radioisotopes mixed with infectious materials or biological toxins)	Consult appropriate waste manual or Contact EHS before generating such waste

Definitions of Contaminants:

A. Contains or is potentially contaminated with human infectious agents, viral vectors used with human and animal cell culture, biologically derived toxins, human blood, and body fluids, all human and animal cell cultures, or fluids and tissues from infected animals.

B. Recombinant, synthetic nucleic acids, or genetically modified micro/organisms (e.g., bacteria, plants, insects, and animals). If also infectious, refer to the Biohazard column.

C. Not infectious to humans or animals, and non-r/sNA. Contains or is potentially contaminated with environmental microorganisms, plant and insect pathogens, or plant tissue cultures. If contaminated with chemical residue, refer to the “Chemical” column.

D. Disposable items contaminated with residual amounts of non-acutely toxic chemicals only (e.g., phenol, chloroform, acrylamide, xylene). For acutely toxic waste items, including the original containers from the manufacturer, consult the Hazardous Waste Manual or contact EHS. Ethidium bromide-contaminated waste must be deactivated or collected as chemical waste by EHS.

E. Disposable items contaminated with residual amounts of substances used to imitate a biochemical response in tissue culture or animals and includes antineoplastic agents (e.g., cisplatin, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide); hormones or hormone-like drugs (e.g., estrogens, tamoxifen); synthetic analogs and other carcinogens (e.g., BrdU).

Footnotes

1. Non-glass biohazard items that can puncture bags (e.g., plastic pipettes, micropipette tips, swabs, and sticks) may be placed in a puncture-resistant container (e.g., cardboard box lined with biohazard plastic bag, biohazard labeled recycled plastic container) or manufactured “burn-up bin” and then finally packaged in a red biohazard bag for waste pick up. Serological pipettes can puncture bags when mixed with other disposable items in plastic biohazard bags. Bundle the serological pipettes into a plastic sleeve conveniently placed inside the biohazard bag, which organizes them and prevents them from puncturing the outer red biohazard bag.

2. Separate carcasses and tissues from other disposable items (e.g., plastic and paper) whenever possible. Decant liquid away from carcasses, and dispose of the liquid appropriately (e.g., formalin and ethanol as chemical waste through EHS, buffer solutions as biohazard liquid waste). Coordinate with the animal facility manager, especially with large animal carcasses.

3. For biological toxins (ex: cholera toxin), collect them in a designated waste container and contact EH&S for more information on how to dispose of the toxin or schedule a pickup. Please note that some toxins of biological origin (ex: tetrodotoxin, and botulinum toxins) have additional regulatory and safety requirements as federal select agents.

Questions about Waste Disposal?

Call EHS at (607)-255-8200, visit https://ehs.cornell.edu/ or email AskEHS@cornell.edu!

Need to schedule a Hazardous Waste Pickup?

Schedule a pickup on our website at:

https://ehs.cornell.edu/environmental-compliance/hazardous-materials-waste/waste-pickups