Solid Biohazardous Waste

• All biohazardous waste should be double bagged (to minimize spilling of contents when holes form) in biohazard autoclave safe bags and each bag should be independently, loosely (but securely) closed with either a twist tie or lab or lab/autoclave tape. The bags should be loose enough for steam to penetrate and vent. The outer bag should be labeled with the lab name, room number, date filled, and initials of the person prepping the waste using a bold marker.
• Bags should be placed in autoclave safe bins such as these that have been labeled with the lab name and then placed on the green, Lab Services racks found at the east end of the building just outside the office bar. LSB Lab Services staff will collect the waste for sterilization and disposal and the buckets will be returned to the racks as quickly as possible. All tubs must be in reasonably good condition, free from large cracks, any breaks, or handles that are deteriorating to the point where sharp edges are present or in immediate chance of breaking.
• Do not overfill biohazard bags (no more than 2/3 full), they should be able to reasonably fit in the autoclave safe tubs and have room to expand in the autoclave. This also helps prevents excessive pressure of contents that lead to punctures of the bag.
• Any bag found to contain sharps items (see next two categories) will be left behind until deficiencies corrected.

Biohazardous Lab Glass and Plastic (including serological pipets and pipet tips)

• If you have biohazardous glass and plastic, such as Pasteur pipettes, pipet tips, etc., they should be collected in sturdy cardboard boxes lined with a biohazard bag. Please keep the weight of the boxes to a reasonable weight as staff will have to be lifting these boxes onto autoclave racks and into dumpsters. Once full, the boxes should have a biohazard sticker placed on them or labeled as biohazard in bold marker, sealed (just across the top and bottom major seams) with “Lab Glass” tape (available from stock room) and then labeled with the lab name, room number, date, and initials of whoever prepared the box for pickup using a bold marker. This box can then be placed on the green, Lab Services racks.
• Alternatively, biohazardous lab glass and plastic can also be collected in pipet keepers or boxes. Label the keepers or boxes with the lab name, room number, and initials of whoever prepared them. Then placed on the green Lab Services racks.
• Non-biohazardous glass waste should be packaged according to EH&S guidelines and left near the Slim-Jim (tall) trash cans found on the north end of the benches for custodial services to take.
• Use the Packaging Sharps and Lab Glass poster for guidance. Any container found to not be in compliance will be left behind until deficiencies corrected.

Biohazardous Sharps Waste (see EH&S sharps definition)

• Needles, syringes with attached needles, razor blades, scissors, scalpels, and like items should be disposed of by placing them in a red, hard sided sharps container. The container, once full (to built-in marker line, not lid), should have the lid be securely closed but do not block vent holes, and the container labeled with the lab name, room number, date and initials of the person who prepared it. This can then be placed on the green, Lab Services rack along the east wall.
• Use the Packaging Sharps and Lab Glass poster for guidance. Any container found to not be in compliance will be left behind until deficiencies corrected.

Fly waste

• Plastic fly vials should be treated the same as general biohazard waste. Limit on fill size is the weight of the contents. A bag may exceed reasonable weight at a fill below 2/3. Please keep in mind the plastic vials/bottle soften and mold into a single, dense, large, mass.
• Glass bottles will not be handled by LSB Lab Services.

Animal Waste

• LSB Lab Services will not be handling any animal waste. DCM will operate their own space within LSB where waste should be left for processing by

Dishwashing

• LSB Lab Services Staff will provide labware cleaning & sterilization services for LSB research labs. Items will be washed with items belonging to other labs/floors. It is critical that all items going to dishwashing be labeled with the lab name or floor number (if your floor shares glassware. It is recommended that items be labeled with a paint pen or other pen that can tolerate alkaline detergent, heat, and high-water pressure. Items that aren’t labeled will be collected and kept aside but staff will not actively search for owners. Please contact the lab services manager if you believe you have items missing.
  
  •  Lab services can wash a wide range of items including carboys up to 20L in size (diameter dependent), bottles (up to 4L in size), flasks (up to 6L in size), graduated cylinders (up to 4L), beakers, serological pipettes, petri dishes, test tubes, & spatulas.
• Dirty items should still be prepared by the labs themselves. Lab services staff will not do any pre-rinsing, scrubbing, or bleaching of glassware.
  
  • For example, Erlenmeyer flasks or glass test tubes that have had bacterial or yeast cultures, should be rinsed with a 10% bleach solution by lab members, allowed to sit for 15 minutes, then emptied, rinsed and placed in a tub which is then placed on the lab services rack. Lab services will then send these through the dishwasher and sterilize (if desired)
• All items sent to glassware must be in safe condition. Glassware that is broken or has a high chance of breaking will not be cleaned by staff and shouldn’t be sent down in the first place. Containers that have had biohazardous materials in them should be bleached beforehand and rinsed well before being sent to glassware services.
• Reusable notes have been made that labs should use to distinguish if items in tubs should be washed and/or sterilized and also will be used to indicate if the task has been completed and there is a section for notes to be added. Vis-à-vis pens can be used on these signs and easily removed with 70% ethanol or isopropanol. All items sent to glassware are assumed to be autoclave and drying oven (at 50℃) safe. If a particular item should not be autoclaved or placed in a drying oven, please make sure it is labeled with a note as such.
• Items like stir bars, spatulas, etc., will be cleaned but not autoclaved unless there is a specific note asking for sterilization. If sterilization is requested, items will be placed into individual sterilization pouches. Please only sterilize items that require it.
• Dishwashing will be using an alkaline detergent in its dishwashers, please make sure the items you send down are compatible with such. If you have concerns about the detergent, please contact the LSB Lab Services Manager.

NOTES

• A single pickup of labware & biohazard waste will happen daily between 8am-9am. Items should be placed on lab services rack before 8am. Any items processed the previous business day should be returned the next business day during pickup.
• Any questions, comments, concerns should be directed to the LSB Lab Services Manager. 
• LSB Lab Services Contacts
  
  • Lab Services Manager: Aaron E. Hernandez, aaroneh@uw.edu, 206.543.7381
  • Lab Services Technician: Kayla Higgs, khiggs@uw.edu, 206-543-4829