Hazardous Waste

Hazardous Waste Program Overview

UMass Dartmouth's EHS Team is committed to providing a healthy and safe learning environment. The goals of our hazardous waste program are to:

• Protect faculty, staff and students from hazardous wastes exposures

• Manage all hazardous wastes in an environmentally and safe manner

• Minimize the quantities of hazardous wastes being generated in teaching and research labs

• Identify pollution prevention strategies to minimize or eliminate our overall impact on the environment

• Comply with federal, state and local regulations

For Help, View Our Lab Waste Guide!

Waste Pickup Process & Schedule

UMass Dartmouth's hazardous waste vendor will be on site for the removal of hazardous waste. Pickups of hazardous waste from labs are scheduled weekly for the main campus and satellite campuses. The technician will check each Satellite Accumulation Area (SAA) in the labs and remove containers that are compliant and ready for pickup.

Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAA)

Hazardous waste within a laboratory must be stored in a Satellite Accumulation Area (SAA). The UMass Dartmouth SAA Sign must be posted in close proximity to the location where hazardous waste is generated. Here are some important rules to follow when managing hazardous waste in your SAA:

Waste containers must be labeled with the UMass Dartmouth hazardous waste label (see picture above)
SAA must be visually inspected weekly
SAA must have secondary containment bins to facilitate control and clean-up in the event of an accidental release
Lids on containers must be closed unless adding waste
If you set up an SAA please notify EHS so that we can track it in our database

View our SAA Signage!

Image of UMass Dartmouth's Hazardous Waste Labels. Please let EHS know if you need more!

Hazardous Waste Listed and Characteristic Waste

Hazardous Wastes at UMass Dartmouth are regulated according to regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). In order to decide whether you have a hazardous waste, you must determine whether your waste has certain characteristics or appears on one of several lists. If it does, then you must manage it according to requirements identified in our Lab Waste Guide. If waste you have does not meet this criteria and is not a hazardous waste, please confirm with Environmental Health and Safety whether it is appropriate to dispose of your waste down the sink or regular trash. Although some waste you generate may not be a hazardous waste, it still may be necessary to manage it this way to prevent adverse effects to health, safety or the environment.