Chemistry Solutions

Dear Puzzled by Proper Disposal,

Thank you for asking this very important question! There are lots of resources that give general advice on the handling and disposal of waste chemicals, but many of those targeted at high school teachers say to refer to local guidelines for the actual disposal procedures. The federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulates hazardous waste handling and disposal. Local governments may have additional regulations specific to the local infrastructure.

General guidance

The AACT Chemistry Solutions article, “Managing Chemical Wastes in the High School Lab”, gives some great tips about what can usually be discarded in the drain or in the trash can and includes a downloadable quick reference guide for disposal. As you mentioned in your question, the “Flinn Scientific Science Catalog and Reference Manual” (Digital or Request a copy) has a large and detailed safety reference section including recommended chemical disposal procedures for every chemical in the catalog. However, the first page of this also tells you to check your local regulations before using these methods.

Finding local guidance

So, how do you check those local regulations?

• What can I pour down the drain? The answer may depend on the age, pipe material, or treatment conditions that exist in your local public water treatment facility. The federal Clean Water Act regulates all discharges to water treatment facilities, and state or local governments may have even more stringent guidelines. For those whose disposal goes to septic, it is generally recommended that zero chemicals be discarded in the drain.
  • For details, call your local wastewater treatment facility or your local municipality.
• What can I put out with the trash? Most public trash is managed by a municipal authority, and the specific landfill destination of the trash is what determines guidelines for this type of disposal.
  • For details, contact your local waste management company or your municipality.

State-level resources

State and local information can be very difficult to find without knowing what to search. The EPA provides a page of links, by state, to Hazardous Waste Programs and U.S. State Environmental Agencies. This is a great place to start. The EPA document, “Little Known But Allowable Ways To Deal With Hazardous Waste” contains summary pages for each state, comparing state regulations to federal regulations, and including contact information for the appropriate state departments. If you struggle to find the right information, you can also call the EPA directly using the appropriate phone number on the Region-specific Customer Service Lines page.

Using these resources, I found the following great information for New Jersey:

• NJ Department of Environmental Protection maintains a School Chemical Management Project that includes free site visits to help with best practices for chemicals and waste!
• NJ Education Association (teacher’s union) provides a page, Manage lab chemicals safely, that outlines some procedures and provides references to the state government codes and federal regulations that support various aspects of lab safety.
• A “NJ Hazardous Substances List” can be downloaded from NJ Department of Health Workplace Health and Safety page. Any chemical on this list has an associated Hazardous Substances Fact Sheet with information that complements what is found on a Safety Data Sheet.

Teachers can also find more information in the links compiled in the sidebar.

I hope this information provides the pieces of the puzzle that you were missing. Have a safe 2026/27 school year!

Yours in chemistry,

Labby

Note: This question was submitted during the AACT webinar, “Creating a Culture of Safety in the Laboratory Environment”.