Surplus radioisotope material in any form (for example, surplus materials in supplied form, sealed sources, etc.)
Material that has come into direct contact with radioactive material (for example, gloves, culture dishes, pipettes, flasks, etc.).
Materials used for radioactive decontamination (for example, paper towels, sponges, etc.).
Materials that have come into incidental contact with radioactive material (for example, bench top covering material, etc.).
Contaminated equipment used during radioisotope handling procedures that is no longer required and cannot be cleaned (for example, centrifuges, gel electrophoresis equipment, etc.).

Separating radioactive waste

Radioactive waste must be separated according to individual waste blocks. Each waste block has a specific characteristic based on its physical state (solid or liquid). If liquid, further separation is required based on radioisotope half-life and solvent type.

Failure to comply with the separation scheme outlined below may result in waste being refused at the disposal facility and returned to U of T property.

Waste block ID	Description	Colour-coded jars for liquid wastes
9100	All solid waste containing all nuclides – no isotope segregation	Not applicable
9101	Liquid scintillation vials and fluids	Not applicable
9102	Aqueous radioactive liquids for delay-decay (<30 day half life)	Green label for isotopes such as P-32, P-33, I-131, Cr-51
9103	Aqueous radioactive liquids for delay-decay (30-90 day half life)	Blue label for isotopes such as S-35, Fe-59, I-125
9104	Aqueous radioactive liquids for delay-decay (>90 day half life)	Yellow label for isotopes such as C-14, H-3, Ca-45
9105	Organic radioactive liquids (all nuclides)	Contact Environmental Protection Services

Packaging radioactive waste

General requirements

The following general requirements for packaging radioactive waste must be followed:

Radioactive waste must be separated and packaged in the laboratory by onsite staff.
Radioactive waste must not be placed in non-radioactive waste containers. Likewise, non-radioactive items should not be placed in radioactive waste containers.
Solid radioactive waste must be separated from liquid radioactive waste.

In many cases, waste packaging for radioactive waste is provided free of charge. Please contact the Environmental Protection Services team for more information.

Solids

The following specific requirements for packaging radioactive waste solids must be followed:

Solid non-sharp waste must be placed in yellow bags located in the designated radioactive solid waste containers for disposal.
Radioactive waste must not be placed in standard green or black garbage bags under any circumstance.
Any long rigid plastic tubing, long plastic pipettes or similar material must be wrapped in several layers of bench topping or similar material and taped securely. The wrapped and taped material can then be placed in the radioactive solid waste container for disposal.
No sharp waste (glassware, needles and blades) should be placed in the radioactive solid waste containers. View the Sharp Waste Disposal page for more information.
Solid waste must not contain any viable biological agents or chemicals. View the Mixed Waste Disposal page for more information.
Non-contaminated material, including foodstuffs or food containers, is not allowed in the radioactive solid waste container.

Liquids

Apart from scintillation counting fluid, the following specific requirements for packaging radioactive waste liquids must be followed:

Radioactive liquid waste is segregated according to the half-life of the isotopes.
Colour-coded plastic jars, based on the segregation criteria outlined in the Separating Radioactive Waste section above, are distributed free of charge to laboratories by the Environmental Protection Services team for liquid wastes.
Liquids containing radioactive material must be poured into the EPS-provided colour-coded plastic jars, which contain an absorbent material. If the liquid is likely to dissolve the standard plastic container, the permit holder must contact the Environmental Protection Services team for guidance.
Following the addition of liquid waste to a colour-coded plastic jar, the attached radioactive waste tag must be updated.
The outside of the colour-coded plastic jar must be clean and free of wet or dried liquids, and of any hazardous biological or chemical agents.
Liquid wastes must not contain any biological agents.
No liquid containing radioactive materials may be disposed of through the laboratory sanitary sewer system, except for water used to wash lightly contaminated glassware.
The release criteria for aqueous washes can be found in the provided table in the Aqueous washes section below.

Aqueous washes and release criteria

Aqueous liquid waste resulting from experiments with radioactive materials often contains insignificant amounts of activity, defined by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) as non-radioactive. 

The table below identifies commonly used radioisotopes found in such liquid waste. If the quantity of radioactivity is below the U of T release criteria outlined in Column E, the CNSC considers the hazard to be insignificant and not radioactive.

Any aqueous liquid waste at or below the criteria in Column E may be disposed of in the regular lab drain, followed by several litres of running water to ensure that the sink trap is flushed completely.

Any non-aqueous waste at or below the criteria in Column E should be disposed of as chemical waste. Refer to the Chemical Waste Disposal page for further procedures.

Activities discovered in any liquid waste above the levels in Column E must be disposed of in the appropriate colour-coded liquid waste jar identified in Column F. A radioactive waste tag identifying the contents of the liquid radioactive waste jar must completed. The radioactive waste tag must be affixed to the colour-coded liquid waste jar for disposal to occur.

A	B	C	D	E	F
Radioisotope	LS counter efficiency (%)	CNSC C-222 release quantity (µCi)	CNSC limit 1% of CNSC limit/litre of wash (µCi)	U of T limit (For 1 litre or more aqueous flush)	Levels >column E must be disposed as radioactive liquid waste in colour-coded waste containers
Calcium 45	95	10	0.1	2.1*10^5 cpm/litre of wash	Yellow
Carbon 14	95	100	1.0	2.1*10^6 cpm/litre of wash	Yellow
Chromium 51	35	100	1.0	7.7*10^5 cpm/litre of wash	Green
Hydrogen 3	50	1000	10	1.1*10^7 cpm/litre of wash	Yellow
Iodine 125	95	1	0.01	2.1*10^4 cpm/litre of wash	Blue
Iodine 131	95	1	0.01	2.1*10^4 cpm/litre of wash	Green
Iron 59	95	0.27	0.0027	5.7*10^3 cpm/litre of wash	Blue
Phosphorus 32	95	10	0.1	2.1*10^5 cpm/litre of wash	Green
Phosphorus 33	95	27	0.27	5.7*10^5 cpm/litre of wash	Green
Sulphur 35	95	10	0.1	2.1*10^5 cpm/litre of wash	Blue

Radioactive liquids containing significant amounts of organic material

Any radioactive liquid waste containing significant amounts of organic solvents or material must be kept separate from non-organic liquid waste.

Using a separate plastic colour-coded waste jar to collect radioactive liquid waste is acceptable unless the solvent dissolves the plastic.

Separate arrangements may be required to collect radioactive liquid waste containing significant amounts of organic solvents or materials. Contact the Environmental Protection Services team for guidance.

Labeling radioactive waste

The following information must be legibly and accurately recorded on the accompanying radioactive waste tag as waste is added to the container:

The lab’s Radioisotope Permit number
Date of waste addition to the container
Isotope name
Activity of the isotope

For radioactive liquid waste, the chemical solvent of the radioisotope (for example, water, ethanol, EDTA, etc.) must be noted on the accompanying radioactive waste tag.

Radioactive waste tag examples

Storing radioactive waste

Each radioisotope laboratory should establish one location for the consolidation of radioactive waste. The location of the radioactive waste consolidation area should be identified in a conspicuous manner.

More than one location may be used if the laboratory is large, has more than one area in use, and these areas are widely separated. If more than one radioactive waste consolidation area exists in a radioisotope laboratory, it is the responsibility of the laboratory staff to ensure that the Environmental Protection Services team is aware of these locations.

Any form of shielding material used around a designated waste consolidation location must be designed, constructed and used in such a way that allows access by the Environmental Protection Services team to the shielded waste.

Radioactive waste should not be stored beneath any working area, whether this is used for work with radioisotopes or not.

Radioactive waste should not be stored in the vicinity of personnel who do not work with radioactive materials.

Special cases

Animal carcasses

Radioactive animal carcasses must be completely and securely wrapped and have a label attached. The label must provide the following information:

The lab’s Radioisotope Permit number
Species of animal
Number of animal carcasses
Date
Isotope contained within the animal carcass
Maximum activity per animal carcass

Radioactive animal carcasses for disposal must be kept in an identified, designated freezer or cold room.

It is the responsibility of laboratory staff to transport the carcasses to the designated freezer/cold room.

Carcasses will be disposed by the Environmental Protection Services team when enough have been accumulated to warrant a disposal shipment.

Gas chromatograph units

Gas chromatograph units may have a radioactive source incorporated into the unit. If a gas chromatograph unit is to be sent for disposal, Radiation Protection Services must be notified in writing to arrange for the deletion of the unit from the associated permit.

The Environmental Protection Services team will arrange for the disposal of the radioactive source once it has been removed from the gas chromatograph.

Gaseous radioactive waste

U of T does not normally generate significant quantities of radioactive gaseous waste. Any process that is likely to produce radioactive gaseous discharges must be performed in a fume hood.

A Radioactive Permit holder must submit all proposals that have the potential to generate significant quantities of gaseous wastes to the U of T Institutional Radiation Protection Committee for prior approval. Information on any planned control measures and personal protective equipment must also be supplied.

Liquid scintillation counting vials

Liquid scintillation counting vials must be marked for disposal. Any vials not marked for disposal will not be accepted by the Environmental Protection Services team.

Vials must have caps that are securely fastened. Vials must not be leaking or show evidence of leaking.

Vials for disposal may be placed either in the original trays or in waste containers specifically identified for scintillation vials only. The construction and integrity of whichever container is used must be sufficient to withstand normal handling and contain any potential leakage.

Glass and plastic scintillation vials must be kept separated for disposal to occur.

Liquid scintillation counting vials must not contain any viable biohazardous agents. All biological agents must be inactivated. View the Biological Waste Disposal page for inactivation procedures.

Liquid scintillation counters

Liquid scintillation counters may have a radioactive source incorporated in the counter. The requirements for the disposal of gas chromatograph units apply. If a liquid scintillation counter is to be sent for disposal, Radiation Protection Services must be notified in writing to arrange for the deletion of the counter from the associated permit.

The Environmental Protection Services team will arrange for the disposal of the radioactive source once it has been removed from the liquid scintillation counter.

Radioactive material containing hazardous chemicals or biological agents

When a radioactive liquid is contaminated with hazardous biological agents, the latter must be inactivated before being released to the Environmental Protection Services team for collection. View the Biological Waste Disposal page for inactivation procedures.

When a radioactive liquid contains significant quantities of chemicals, the chemicals must be inactivated or neutralized before disposal.

For assistance with mixed hazardous waste disposal, contact the manager of Environmental Protection Services (gord.petre@utoronto.ca).

Refrigerators, freezers and other equipment

All refrigerators, freezers and other equipment that contained radioactive material, or were previously used in radioisotope research and are no longer required, must be thoroughly decontaminated. The permit holder is responsible for ensuring that all radioactive material is removed and the unit is free of any surface contamination.

The permit holder must ensure that all radioactive warning labels are removed or defaced to eliminate any reference to radioactive material.

Following decontamination, Radiation Protection Services must be notified. They will confirm the decommissioning of the unit and arrange for its removal from the laboratory.

Sealed sources

The permit holder must notify Radiation Protection Services in writing of the intention to dispose of the sealed source to arrange its deletion from the associated Permit.

The Environmental Protection Services team will arrange for the removal of the source for disposal. If the source is of a large activity or of a unique nature, costs associated with its disposal may be charged to the department or permit holder. This includes the proper disposal of smoke detectors which contain a small radioactive source.

Sharps

For sharps contaminated with radioactive materials, please refer to the Sharp Waste Disposal page for more information.

Shipping boxes

Cardboard or other outer boxes used for the shipment of radioactive materials do not normally become contaminated. If the swipe test of the inner shipping containers (used to contain the radioactive materials), as received, is non-contaminated, it can be assumed that the outer shipping box is also non-contaminated.

Any radioactive warning labels on the exterior of a non-contaminated shipping box must be removed or defaced in a way that eliminates any reference to radioactive material.

The shipping box may be crushed or flattened and may be placed with non-radioactive waste for routine disposal or recycling. Interior packaging material designed to minimize impact damage (for example, foam chips, sponge rubber, etc.) may also be recycled or placed with the regular non-radioactive waste for disposal.

If a shipping box has become contaminated with radioactive material, it must be treated as radioactive waste, as per the requirements outlined for solid radioactive waste. Any interior packaging (for example, foam chips, cardboard separators, etc.) must also be treated as solid radioactive waste.

Shipping containers with lead shielding from radioisotope shipments

A radioisotope shipping container with lead shielding must be swipe-checked to ensure that it is free of radioisotope contamination.

Containers must be clean and free of any obvious contamination by chemical or biological agents as well.

Radioisotope shipping containers with lead shielding that are free of contamination will be collected separately by the Environmental Protection Services team.

Any container that is contaminated must be marked as such and packaged separately before collection. The container must not be placed together with other solid radioactive waste.

Shipping containers must not contain free liquids. The liquid is to be disposed of according to the procedures for liquid radioactive waste.

Radioactive waste collection schedule

Radioactive waste is collected directly from labs by the Environmental Protection Services team. View the radioactive waste collection schedule.

Get support

If you have questions, please contact the Environmental Protection Services team.

Please reference the Laboratory Hazardous Waste Manual (Radioactive Waste Management section) for more information about radioactive waste procedures.

For more information about procedures for radioisotope labs, you can also visit the U of T Radiation Protection Services website.