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Waste Disposal

UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

School of Engineering

SAFETY INSTRUCTION - ISSUE 4 - September 2013

WASTE DISPOSAL

1. General

The disposal of waste is controlled by several acts of parliament and additional regulations. In addition there are local by-laws which prohibit the disposal of certain waste to landfill.

The University is commited to support the reduction of waste to landfill and already has alot of information available about waste and recycling

You must note that the School of Engineering maintains an Asset Register (held by Finance) which must be updated to reflect disposal of certain valued items and IT equipment, workshop machines and other instruments need to be written off for tax purposes before disposal. There is also a procedure that needs to be implemented for the sale and disposal of machinery which should be followed where relevant. And in the School of Engineering the Asset Disposal form must be completed for machinery that is to be sold on to others, whether in whole or in part. Completion of this form will assist meeting our legal responsibilities in relation to health and safety as it can inform the new owners of any hazards that may still be present and gives information on any known history. The School should avoid selling machinery to the public so far as reasonably practicable.

Note that there are specific requirements to inform the Radiation Protection Officer if you wish to sell or dispose of any Class 3R, Class 3B or Class 4 laser system as a list of these exist centrally which needs to be maintained up to date. Similarly the sale or disposal of any radioactive materials needs to be discussed and approved by the Radiation Protection Officer prior to making any arrangements.

2. Waste Management

It is the responsibility of the supervisor for each area to identify the types of waste produced and to provide suitable receptacles for collection of segregated waste. It is also the responsibility of the supervisor to try and reduce the amount of materials purchased that may result in their ultimate disposal.

Clean white paper should be put into the pink bags provided by Casepak. Cardboard boxes should be deconstructed and flattened. They will be collected by the Cleaners and Porters.

General office waste is all other office waste except clean white paper and cardboard and is collected from office bins by the cleaners.

Ferrous and non-ferrous metals should be segregated and collected by a scrap merchant which can be arranged via the Facilities Manager. Normally, a skip for ferrous metals will always be available.

Laboratory / Workshop waste is all waste produced in these areas except for metals and contaminated materials. Oily rags / paper and used absorbent are considered contaminated materials and are classified as hazardous waste.

A Household Battery Recycling Scheme was initiated in Spring 2009. This provided battery collection boxes in all buildings across the University and there is one located in Engineering Stores. If wanting to dispose of lithium batteries or 'button' batteries, the terminals must be covered in electrical tape or 'sticky' tape prior to their disposal. A battery that is no longer able to be used may often still contain sufficient charge to start a fire, so covering the terminals will prevent terminals coming into contact with others and reduce this risk.

For the purposes of this safety instruction hazardous waste is defined as any substance or material which will harm the environment. Disposal of such substances to landfill or the foul sewer or storm water drains is strictly controlled. All hazardous waste MUST be disposed of by an approved method using a licenced hazardous waste carrier. The instructions below detail the steps to be taken to dispose of hazardous waste.

3. Hazardous Waste

The School of Engineering Health and Safety Advisor will be responsible for hazardous waste disposal. All hazardous waste created by the School of Engineering MUST be notified to the Health and Safety Advisor who will assist with its disposal.

Hazardous waste must only be moved or transferred using a licenced waste carrier. Consignment Notes are used to track the movement of hazardous waste to ensure that it is managed responsibly until disposal. The School of Engineering is responsible for its' waste until it is disposed of. A record must be kept of all consignment notes for 3 years. Stores are responsible for retaining the Consignment Notes.

Procedure

Once hazardous waste has been identified for disposal the following procedure will be used.

  • The substance will be labelled as 'Hazardous Waste for Disposal'
  • The Substance / Material, name shall be stated on the label
  • A Waste Form will be completed
  • A Materials Safety Data Sheet and/or COSHH sheet will be obtained and held with the form
  • the originator will notify the Health and Safety Advisor

(For mixtures the MSDS / COSHH sheet for the 'active' component should be supplied)

NB. No hazardous waste for disposal will be accepted for disposal without the appropriate MSDS / COSHH information.

Once a hazardous waste has been accepted for disposal by the Health and Safety Advisor it will need to be stored in an approved area. Note that the Engineering Stores only has capacity to store up to a maximum of 6 litres of flammable waste material in their flameproof cabinet, so a safe alternative will be required to store more than this volume.

Certain materials may require specfic packaging and labelling before it will be accepted for collection by the licenced waste contractor.

4. Electrical and Electronic Equipment

Computers and electronic equipment cannot be sent for landfill and are not accepted by scrap metal merchants. Waste electrical or electronic equipment (WEEE) should be recycled - Have a look at the Warwick Guide to WEEE

5. Other Waste

At various times other broken or redundant materials, equipment and furniture will need disposal. To arrange disposal of these items please contact the Facilities Manager.