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The hazardous waste management system ensures all hazardous wastes generated on campus are collected and disposed of responsibly, protecting the environment and in compliance with local and provincial regulations. 

Create your disposal request

• Requests must be submitted by 4:00pm Wednesday for pick-up every Thursday. 
• All waste containers must have an appropriate label which identifies the contents (no symbols or abbreviations please).
• Each container should also have a neon green "Hazardous Waste for Pickup" sticker attached. This will allow our waste contractors to identify containers that need to be removed.

Additional instructions

• For disposal of less than 30 items, a minimum of 1 week notice is required.
• For disposal of 30-200 items, a minimum of 2 weeks notice is required.
• For disposal of more than 200 items, consultation is required for coordinating disposal and a pick-up date. 
• Contact ohs@uvic.ca before starting your disposal request for lab clean-outs or lab decommissioning.

Please refer to this user guide for tips on how to submit your hazardous waste disposal via the database.

Hazardous waste containers

• Liquid hazardous waste guidelines
• Solid hazardous waste guidelines
• Photochemical hazardous waste guidelines

Wastewater

Certain non-hazardous lab wastewaters such as salt and buffer solutions can be safely disposed of in the sink while maintaining compliance with environmental regulations. Reducing the amount of non-hazardous waste entering the hazardous waste stream makes both economic and environmental sense.

For approved chemicals and required conditions for sink disposal, refer to the chemicals approved for safe sink disposal list. 

All other wastes must be collected and disposed of as hazardous waste. 

Liquid biological waste

All risk group level 1 and risk group level 2 liquid biological waste (i.e. cultures, supernatants, media) must be disposed of using safe sink disposal following one of two treatment protocols:

• autoclave sterilization 
• chemical disinfection

It is the responsibility for each department or lab to determine which protocol to use.

For circumstances where liquid biological waste cannot go to safe sink disposal (toxic chemicals or addition of hormones), the waste must be disposed of in the yellow 4.5L cans.

Special wastes

Reactive/special handling 

Any waste that is highly reactive (piranha solution, perchloric acid, Aqua Regia) or requires special handling (hydrofluoric acid) should be disposed of in a chemically compatible, Lab User supplied container. 

Pressure releasing caps (circumvent caps) are available at no charge from Science  Stores for waste that have the potential to build pressure (e.g. Aqua Regia, piranha solution).

Reactive/special handling waste should not be decanted. Ensure the waste is stored in a chemically compatible container and affix a green hazardous waste sticker for pick-up.

If you are unsure how to safety dispose of reactive or special handling chemicals, contact OHSE for support.

Peroxide forming compounds

Peroxide forming compounds (PFCs) are reagents or solvents that over time under the presence of atmospheric oxygen are oxidized and produce organic peroxides. PFCs must be tested for  peroxides regularly; testing frequency for common PFCs are found in the UVic safe work plan for PFCs.

If PFCs are submitted for hazardous waste in their original bottle or a user supplied bottle, they must be tested for peroxides at the time of submission. A PFC hazardous waste tag must be filled out and attached to the bottle. If any PFC found that appears to contain crystals or is questionable do not open and contact OHSE for alternate disposal.

Spill response

The UVic spill response plan outlines what to do in case of an environmental release or spill and includes two scenarios:

1. If the spill is beyond your capabilities to safely manage:

• Call Campus Security at 250-721-7599
• In case of serious injuries, also call 911
• Secure the area and warn others
• If there is a spread of toxic materials, evacuate the building
• Remain near the scene in a safe location
• Identify yourself to the Campus Security Officer upon arrival

2. If the spill can be safely managed by you and your department:

• Get assistance and notify your supervisor, never rush or work alone
• Clearly assess the situation before starting clean-up and use proper personal protective equipment 
• Use appropriate departmental spill clean-up equipment if available
• Laboratories can use the grey spill pads to contain and absorb most liquid spills
• Collect the wastes in a suitable container and submit disposal request through the hazardous waste disposal system
• If at any time additional assistance is required, contact Campus Security at 250-721-7599

Certain releases may require a report to be submitted to regulatory agencies. This is dependent on the quantity and nature of the spill and is coordinated through OHSE.