On the day of the collection
Prior to the collection
You will be contacted before the collection to confirm your contact details and to let you know which day your items will be collected. We may need to take a look at any unlabelled items or anything that might be difficult to move due to size or expected weather conditions.
If you can’t be around on the collection day let us know the phone number of an alternate contact.
Make sure your chemicals are set apart from other reagents. We don’t want to take the wrong items.
Make sure you (or your alternate) are available to let us in and make sure we take everything we should (and nothing we shouldn’t!)
We will call you to let you know when we’re on our way to collect your items.
If we need to collect your items on the next day, then we’ll email an update letting you know.
Cost of disposal
Sharing collection and transport costs reduces the price of chemical disposal.
Safety and Health subsidises some disposals costs when finances permit. We will advise prior to each collection what proportion of costs we can cover.
Business units are responsible for all remaining charges for waste generated by their areas.
Where possible the disposal company can provide an estimate of costs as a guide on request.
Things to consider
How old is the chemical?
If the chemical has been sitting in the container for a number of years there may be some hazards associated with moving it. For example there have been cases where chemicals have been stored for a long time in sealed Winchesters – in this time crystals have formed, or pressure has built up in the bottles, and the containers have later exploded without warning.
Moving containers like this increases the risk of explosion. If your chemicals are old read the Material Safety Data Sheet very carefully before you move them at all and contact the Chemical and Safety Adviser if you are still unsure.
Could this chemical be useful to someone else?
If you have unwanted chemicals that may be of use to others in the University, or you are looking for a chemical that you think others may not need, there is useful information on the Surplus or unwanted chemicals page.
