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Wash and Rinse Water Disposal
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Summary: Learn how to dispose of wash and rinse water contaminated by hazardous materials or highly toxic, acidic, or caustic cleaning solutions. Follow these instructions when washing glassware, containers, and equipment. For other drain disposal questions, read Sewer Disposal: What Can Go Down the Drain? |
| What to do |
How to do it |
| 1 |
Determine if the wash and rinse water that will be generated must be collected as hazardous waste or can go down the drain. |
- Wash and rinse water can go down drains if it meets all the requirements listed below:
- Nonhazardous
- Liquid
- No solids, sludges, or viscous substances
- Will not interfere with sewage treatment operations
- No corrosive pH levels
- No grease or oil
- No hot (150° or higher) temperatures in volumes of more than 10 gallons
- If your wash and rinse water will be contaminated with hazardous material or toxic, acidic, or caustic cleaning solutions, or otherwise do not meet the drain disposal criteria above, you cannot pour it down the drain. Go to Step 2.
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| 2 |
Empty, wash, and rinse equipment and glassware. |
- Empty the contents of equipment and glassware that held hazardous materials into an appropriate hazardous waste storage container.
- Rinse with a small amount of water or appropriate solvent and empty the rinse water into the hazardous waste storage container.
- Rinse and empty once more.
- Wash the equipment. Detergents, wash water, and rinse water can go down the drain unless highly caustic, acidic, or toxic cleaning solutions are used. These include:
- Chromerge
- Sodium hydroxide
- Sulfuric acid
- Hydrochloric acid
- Phosphoric acid wash solutions
Avoid using these solutions if possible. If you must use one of these solutions, continue to Step 2e.
- Collect highly caustic, acidic, or toxic wash water by emptying it into the hazardous waste storage container.
- Capture the first rinse and do either of the following:
- Direct the rinse water back into the wash solution, using it for the next wash
OR
- Empty the rinse water into the hazardous waste container.
- Additional rinses can go down the drain.
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| 3 |
Dispose of the hazardous waste storage containers holding wash and rinse water. |
- Label the container with a hazardous waste tag.
- Request a hazardous waste collection.
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If you are a UCSD employee and have questions, contact EH&S Environmental Issues Program, (858) 534-3660. |
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Notice: Disposal of hazardous waste using sinks, intentional evaporation, or as regular trash is against the law. Campus laboratories must abide by strict state and federal waste disposal requirements. You may be held liable for violations of applicable laws.
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