Legislation Environmental Protection Regulations 1987
Environmental Protection (Controlled Waste) Regulations 2004 Environmental Protection (Unauthorised Discharges) Regulations 2004
Preamble
Chemical waste which can not be (see Chemical Waste – Sewer) or is not run to sewer must be disposed of by an appropriately licensed external contractor. The onus is on the UWA entity producing the waste to ensure that the disposal contractor holds appropriate licenses/permits from the Department of the
Environment. The waste must also be appropriately labelled and packaged as Dangerous Goods (as appropriate), and necessary shipping documentation
generated and supplied to the driver of the vehicle transporting the material. In all situations, the scale of work undertaken should be minimised to
minimise the resultant waste generated. The cost of disposal should also be budgeted for when substances are being ordered. The recommended contractor is ERS Australia. How to arrange waste disposal
If using ERS Australia as the disposal contractor phone (08) 9351 1370 to arrange a quote. It is imperative that full details are provided to ERS Australia to get an accurate quote. Do not label or list a container simply as “phenol waste” for example,
but rather as approx 40% w/w phenol in water. Provide as much detail as possible and state the solvent in which solutions are made up, do not assume others
will know what solvent/s have been used. If it is aqueous state that; if not - specify the solvent/s used. Do not use chemical shorthand for substances, use
full names and specify relative quantities in mixtures/solutions. Labelling examples:
Unacceptable | Acceptable | HPLC waste | 20% methanol, 30% acetonitrile, 50% water | Phenol waste | 40% phenol in water | 1% tris | 1% trishydroxymethylaminomethane in water | K3Fe(CN)6 | Potassium Ferricyanide | ACN/DCM | 20% acetonitrile 80% dichloromethane | Ru trisbipy Cl | tris(2,2-bipyridyl) ruthenium III chloride |
For more complex solutions and commercial products/formulations, please provide a copy of the manufacturers MSDS, or if you can’t obtain it, as much detail
as possible on the product. Note that some photographic chemical manufacturers have different MSDS for fresh and used products. Queries/Further adviceFor further advice, clarification or more detailed and specific queries, please contact Safety and Health on 6488 3938.
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