Alternative Avenues of Chemicals Disposal
Posted on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 @ 09:58 AM
By Greg Rosinski, Chemist II
In a society saturated with ideas of waste minimization, it is important to take a moment to reflect on what is best for the environment and those around us. Chemicals are being depleted at a rate faster than can be manufactured. An example of this seen throughout manufacturing industries is Acetonitrile. A major reason for the shortage is the relatively low boiling point, and its use ubiquitous properties in solutions. An extreme shortage of this particular chemical started in 2008 when the Chinese government decided to shut down one of the biggest manufacturers of this chemical during the Olympics in Beijing.
To help save the supplies of chemicals, it is necessary to find alternatives to disposal that are better for the environment and anyone involved with the process. A good place to start is to determine if the chemical needing disposal has reached its expiration date. Manufacturers of chemicals, like the food industry, place an expiration use date on each bottle of chemical designating when the chemical no longer will perform as intended. If a site has chemicals ready for disposal due to site mandated expiration dates than a program should be instituted to find a way to reuse the chemicals or donate them to a site in need of those chemicals. Chemical reuse between laboratories helps to use as much of the chemical as was purchased, and will help to reduce disposal fees. By emptying a bottle of chemicals the bottle can be triple rinsed, and then recycled saving on disposal costs.
It is important to make sure that there is an environmental specialist involved with this process so that chemicals that are harmful to the person or environment are properly handled. It also ensures safety and compliance is up held in recycling containers.