LAB01- Contaminated Sharps Disposal

Overview

Sharps that are contaminated with biohazards must be properly decontaminated prior to disposal

• Autoclaved (preferred)
• Chemical treatment
• EHS Pickup

Sharps that are contaminated with regulated chemicals must be properly disposed of as solid hazardous waste.

• EHS Pickup

Just as it is important to properly collect and store sharps in appropriate containers, it is equally important to properly dispose of them if they should be contaminated.

Sharps used with biohazardous materials such as pathogenic microorganisms or recombinant nucleic acids, human fluids and cells must be decontaminated prior to disposal in the regular trash. There are 3 ways contaminated sharps are decontaminated at UNL:

1. They are autoclaved by the lab staff and then disposed of in the regular trash;
2. They are chemically treated with disinfectant and then disposed of in a rigid, puncture resistant container in the regular trash; or
3. They are placed in biohazard waste collection containers for pickup by EHS and disposal through our biohazardous waste vendor.

Occasionally, sharps used with certain chemicals (e.g. virgin P-listed and heavy metals) may be considered hazardous waste and will need to be collected and tagged as hazardous waste for pickup by EHS. If you should come across waste of this type, record it and bring it back for evaluation by a Senior Specialist.