U of I Waste Disposal Decision Guide
What items are covered
by this guide:
All items that are not completely made of paper, plastic, cardboard or food and items that contain or are
contaminated with materials that are not paper, plastic, cardboard or food.
How to use the guide:
Begin at the words “Start here” and follow the arrows that correspond to your answer for each question
regarding the item you wish to dispose. Orange boxes have questions that will direct you to a blue box,
which will have instructions for the item you wish to dispose.
Questions:
Call 217-333-2755 or email cws@illinois.edu and ask for additional assistance from the Division of
Research Safety (DRS) staff.
Start here
Chemicals
Is the item a thermometer,
gas cylinder, chemical or
mixture of chemicals;
including commercial
products like oil, antifreeze, shower cleaner,
empty or full aerosol cans,
toner, etc.?
No
Yes
Is the item a DEA
controlled substance? See
DEA controlled substances
for more information.
No
Yes
Yes
Follow directions for DEA controlled
substance disposal. For disposal
instructions see the DEA Controlled
Substances Guide.
Biological or Radioactive Materials
Does the item contain, or is it
contaminated with biological and/or
radioactive material?
Yes
Is the item a liquid and meets
all of the conditions of nonhazardous as defined in
Disposal of liquid nonhazardous chemicals page?
Discard via sanitary
sewer (sink drain).
No
Is the item a
compressed
gas in a
rented
cylinder?
Yes
Return cylinder
to vendor.
No
All other chemicals, mixtures of
chemicals, gases, and thermometers
must be disposed of through the
Division of Research Safety (DRS)
chemical waste disposal program.
See the Chemical Waste Quick Start
Guide for an overview of the
chemical waste disposal procedures.
For Biological Materials, follow the instructions found at: User Treatment of Biological Waste
For Sharps - see the next orange question box.
For Radioactive Materials, follow the instructions found at: Collecting and Preparing Radioactive Waste
If the material contains a chemical, as well as biological or radioactive materials, contact DRS at cws@illinois.edu or
217-333-2755 for further instructions.
No
Sharps
Is the item a medical needle, syringe barrel (with or
without needle), scalpel, razor blade, blood vial, glass
pasteur pipette, microscope slide, coverslip or
glassware contaminated with an infectious agent? (All
these are defined as a sharp.)
Yes
Discard in appropriate (biohazard) sharps
container. See Laboratory Sharps for
more information.
No
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Glass
Is the item a glass
container, broken
glassware, test tube or
any other glassware that
is not defined as a
sharp?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Dispose through the DRS
chemical waste disposal
program. Contact DRS at
cws@illinois.edu or
217-333-2755 for disposal
instructions
Is the item
an empty
toner
cartridge?
No
Yes
Dispose of as a chemical
as listed at the start of this
decision guide.
Is the wood coated with
lead-based paint?
Do not strip the paint – discard
wood in trash. If stripped, wood
must be tested for lead and paint
must be disposed of as a chemical through the DRS chemical
waste disposal program.
No
No
No
Is the glassware contaminated
with elemental mercury and/
or a chemical that is listed on
the Acute Discarded Waste
List?
Yes
Dispose of as a
biological or
radioactive
material as listed
at the beginning of
this decision
guide.
Is there excess liquid or
solid chemical with the
debris?
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Discard in trash. Large
amounts of broken glass
should be sealed in a
cardboard box labeled
“Clean Laboratory Glass
- Trash.” See Laboratory
Glassware Disposal for
more information.
Contaminated Debris
Is the item paper, plastic
(including plastic containers) or
other inert substance that once
contained a chemical (and is now
empty) or is contaminated with a
chemical or chemical mixture?
Batteries
Is the item a battery?
Is the glassware
contaminated with
a biological or
radioactive
material?
Yes
No
No
Wood
Is the item wood?
Is the glassware
contaminated with a
chemical, biological or
radioactive material?
See Step 1 of Determining
How To Dispose of a
Chemical Waste to determine
how the contaminated debris
should be disposed.
Yes
Recycle through
supplier or discard
in the trash.
Has the wood been
treated with creosote
or arsenic?
Yes
Contact DRS at
cws@illinois.edu or
217-333-2755 for
disposal instructions.
No
Has the wood been
contaminated with any
chemical or metal?
No
No
Collect the glassware in a
sturdy cardboard box, lined
with a plastic bag, and
labeled with the words
"Laboratory Glass - Trash."
The box should be securely
sealed shut with tape
before disposal. When full
the box should not weigh
more than 40 pounds (18
kg). Commercially
available broken glassware
disposal boxes may be
used. The box must be free
of any visible signs of
chemical contamination.
There should be no free
liquids in the box and there
must be no odor
emanating from the box.
Do not use a bag displaying
the biohazard symbol or
the radiation hazard
symbol to line the
cardboard box. There must
be no sharps placed in the
box. When full, a properly
labeled and sealed box may
then be placed into the
trash.
Discard in the trash.
Yes
Contact DRS at
cws@illinois.edu or
217-333-2755 for
disposal instructions.
See the Facilities & Services Division of Safety and
Compliance Battery Recycling for the disposal of
alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries (Nickel
Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion, Nickel
Zinc, and Small Sealed Lead Acid).
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Mercury Containing Equipment
Is the item any of the following: Mercurycontaining thermostats, switches,
gauges or other devices containing
mercury?
Yes
Dispose through the DRS chemical waste disposal
program.
See the Procedures for Requesting Chemical
Waste Disposal.
No
Lamps/Light bulbs
Is the item any of following:
fluorescent lamps, high-intensity
discharge (HID) lamps, mercury
vapor lamps (any lamp or bulb
that is not incandescent)?
Yes
Call the F&S Service Office at 217-333-0340 to
schedule the pickup of the lamps for disposal through
the Laborer Electrician Shop. The University does not
permit the disposal of lamps directly in the trash.
No
Lamp Ballasts
Is the item a lamp ballast?
Yes
Does the ballast have the
words “No PCBs” marked on it?
No
No
Ballast must be disposed of as PCB containing waste. (It is illegal to discard in trash
or send to recycler not authorized to handle PCBs).
Campus – dispose of PCB ballasts through DRS chemical waste disposal program.
F&S units – dispose of PCB ballasts through the Electrician Shop.
Yes
Campus – dispose of ballasts through DRS chemical waste disposal
program. Do not discard in trash.
F&S units – dispose of ballasts through the Electrician Shop.
Equipment/Instruments
Is the item any of the
following:
Computers, monitors,
TVs, VCRs, pumps, oil
baths, refrigerators, air
conditioners, and other
equipment/instruments?
Yes
No
No
To dispose of unneeded equipment follow the Office of Business and Financial Services
(OBFS) Equipment Disposal Method procedures. In addition, complete the F&S Scientific
Equipment and Appliance Decommissioning Check-List form for each piece of equipment
that is to be disposed. The form must be completed and attached to the equipment prior
to pickup by F&S or the contracted recycler.
Yes
No
Metals
Is the item made
completely of metal?
Is the item a computer
monitor, TV, VCR or any
electronic equipment that
has a circuit board?
To dispose of unneeded equipment follow the Office of Business and Financial Services (OBFS) Equipment Disposal Method
procedures. It is illegal to discard these items in the trash. In addition, for items used in a research laboratory complete the F&S
Scientific Equipment and Appliance Decommissioning Check-List form for each piece of equipment that is to be disposed. The form
must be completed and attached to the equipment prior to the removal of the equipment.
Yes
Metals should be recycled. Contact Surplus 217-333-6011 for
inspection. Surplus will issue a recycling ticket and then you will need
to arrange a pickup with the contracted recycler. Anything with lead,
chromium or silver metal MUST be recycled. Do not discard in
trash.
Questions?
Contact DRS at
cws@illinois.edu or
217-333-2755.
Contact DRS (cws@illinois.edu or 217-333-2755)
for disposal instructions for any items not
discussed here.
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