Laboratory Waste Pickup Request

The EHS Office will collect hazardous waste generated in laboratories due to research or academic (teaching) activities. Each lab is responsible for submitting a Hazardous Waste Disposal form (Chemical or Biological Materials) online and submitting the request to the EHS Office.

Chemical Waste Pickup Form

The completion of this form is required. The following rules must be complied with for EHS to arrange for pickup:

You must submit a pickup form online. Upon receipt, EHS may contact the submitter if there are any specific questions regarding the material to be collected.

1. Each container must be properly labeled. The labels should clearly identify the contents with a chemical name (i.e., no abbreviations or chemical formulas).
2. Package materials in sturdy cardboard boxes, plastic waste containers, or other containers specifically designed for the material.

Incompatible materials, such as acids/bases, organics/oxidizers, and flammable liquids/oxidizers, shall be segregated in separate containers. Unknown and high-hazard materials, such as cyanides, organic peroxides, pyrophorics, water-reactive, and explosives, shall be packaged separately, regardless of quantity.

Biohazardous Waste Pickup Form

EHS administers the management of biohazardous waste in accordance with State of Texas regulations and University policy developed in conjunction with the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). It is the responsibility of each researcher/unit to properly dispose of any biohazardous waste generated by research, teaching, and other activities.

Biohazardous waste includes research-related wastes contaminated with recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids, agents infectious to humans, animals, or plants, or fluids that may contain these contaminants. This waste needs to be collected, stored, treated, and disposed of using practices that minimize spills and exposure risk for lab personnel, service workers, and the general public. To support this principle, all biohazardous wastes must be stored inside the lab while awaiting pickup.

This includes items that are sharp enough to puncture skin and contaminated with unsterilized biological materials. 

Example devices include:

• Needles & lancets
• Scalpels & razor blades
• Glass slides
• Glass Pasteur pipettes
• Biologically-contaminated broken glass
• This category also includes all sharps-associated medical devices (i.e., syringes).

If you have specific questions on the proper disposal of hazardous materials or wastes, contact EHS at ehs@tamusa.edu