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There is a rigorous and defined method for disposing of chemicals via Cornell's EHS. We are a part of Cornell and have to abide by their institution-level rules and the federal rules placed on them as a business.

Disposal How To

A quick guide from Cornell EHS.

Before disposing of any chemical the figure out whether it is normal waste, R5 waste, oil/gas waste, or hazardous waste.

1. Normal Waste: Things like paper towels (not soiled with chemicals)
2. R5 Waste: Recyclable waste collected separately by EHS (LiPo batteries, some oils). Contact them for help here
3. Oil/Gas waste: These haveave their own disposal room currently in Rhodes, talk to project team director to get access
4. Hazardous waste: The majority of chemicals we use in composites! Basically anything with a warning label.

If you are dealing with hazardous waste you must follow the below

1. If the waste is a solvent (eg. isopropyl or acetone) you can triple rinse the container with water and throw it in the regular trash without a lid on
   1. Triple washing means filling the container all the way up to the top with water and dumping it in the waste disposal drum 3 times
2. If the waste is not a solvent it must be disposed of via the methods in this training. If you have not completed this yet, you must before continuing on.
3. Ensure the container seals completely. If it does not you must request an overwrap container from the project team director.
4. Find the MSDS or SDS for the chemical
5. Fill out one of the green EHS slips found under the sink for hazardous waste pickup. They must be filled out properly to ensure safety in transport and pre disposal storage. For this, use the SDS to accurately mark the hazard type and fill out the section "Chemical Name" with the component chemicals from the chemical composition list on the SDS (all the long chemistry-esc names) along with their percentage of the composition. Do not just put down the marketing/brand name.
   
   
   1. They can be found here
      
      
      
   2. They look like this (with this basic info)
      
6. Pull the top and bottom of the slip off of the backing. Attach BOTH of these stickers to the chemical container.
7. Place the chemical container into an appropriate DOT cardboard shipping box down the hallway leading to Rhodes. If there are no boxes or they are all full please reach out to the project team director! DOT boxes are regularly stocked at the following locations on campus:
8. (Composites Coordinators only): A pickup of the DOT boxes can be arranged using the following link. Pickups occur weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays. If a pickup request is submitted prior to 7AM Wednesday or Friday, the pickup will that day.