Mixed waste disposal
Guidance for disposing of lab waste that may contain or be contaminated with a combination of biological, chemical and radioactive materials.
Overview
Occasionally, laboratory waste may contain or be contaminated with a combination or mixture of biological, chemical and radioactive materials. This type of waste poses a challenge in terms of disposal. Inactivation and disposal methods for mixed waste will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
General mixed waste disposal guidelines
For waste containing combinations of hazardous chemical, radioactive and biological agents, the biological hazard should be inactivated first.
Steam sterilization is generally not recommended for waste containing combinations of significant quantities of hazardous chemical, radioactive and biological agents.
Refer to the Biological Waste Disposal page for biological disinfection procedures. After biological disinfection, the remaining waste can be disposed of as chemical or radioactive waste.
Waste containing or contaminated with chemical and radioactive materials will be treated as radioactive waste. Refer to the Radioactive Waste Disposal page for disposal methods.
Cytotoxic waste
Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells.
Cytotoxic waste is a by-product of cytotoxic drug therapy and can also be generated through research activities.
Cytotoxic waste typically includes all drug administering equipment as well as gowns, body fluids/waste from patient and any leftover product.
Although most cytotoxic material is chemical by nature, incineration is required for proper disposal of this waste stream.
Cytotoxic waste must be collected in EPS-provided red biowaste pails and labelled as ‘cytotoxic waste.’
Contact the Environmental Protection Services team for cytotoxic waste supplies and collection.
Anatomical waste stored in chemical preservatives
Anatomical waste (for example, tissue samples) is occasionally stored in chemical preservatives (for example, Formalin).
This mixed waste stream contains both biological waste (anatomical sample) and chemical waste (preservative liquid).
The preservative liquid must be separated from the anatomical sample. The preservative liquid must be collected and disposed of as chemical waste. The anatomical sample must be collected in a red biowaste pail as biological waste requiring incineration.
It is the waste generator’s responsibility to conduct this separation process before disposal can occur. This separation process must occur in a certified fume hood.
Contact the Environmental Protection Services team before beginning the separation process for guidance and to request supplies.
Get support
For assistance with mixed hazardous waste disposal, contact the manager of Environmental Protection Services (gord.petre@utoronto.ca).
If you require waste supplies or need to schedule a waste collection, please contact the Environmental Protection Services team.
Please reference the Laboratory Hazardous Waste Manual (Mixed Waste Management section) for more information about mixed waste procedures.