Empty Containers
Hazardous Materials
Cleaning and Disposal of Empty Containers
Safety
- Residual chemicals in bottles pose serious risk of injury to people working around or handling trash receptacles.
- A chemical may produce harmful vapors or orders.
- Although some chemicals by themselves may be non-hazardous, they can react when mixed with other chemicals.
- Reactions occurring in trash receptacles can cause fires or harmful vapors.
- Glass containers can break in trash receptacles, posing a risk of cuts or punctures to those handling the trash.
- Sealed or pressurized containers can explode during compaction and may result in workers being sprayed by chemicals or hit by the container shards.
Proper Cleaning and Disposal
- An empty container needs to be triple rinsed prior to disposal.
- Use a solvent capable of removing the original material.
- It may be necessary to collect the rinsate for disposal by EHS depending on the container’s original contents or the solvent used. Collect and submit a pickup request per EHS hazardous waste handling and disposal policies.
- Identify cleaned containers with a “Safe for Disposal” sticker.
- Ensure caps are removed.
- For trash disposal, follow proper procedures defined by building services for the type of container being disposed of.
- If you are unable to remove residual hazardous materials from a container, submit the container for pickup using the EHSA online portal.
Contact
Environmental Health and Safety
hazwaste@purdue.edu
765-494-0121