Gill:Back Door
Safety
Disposing of Waste
Biohazardous Waste
Solid biohazardous waste should be autoclaved in the kill autoclaves in the Biochemistry Building at 121 °C for an hour. Close the plastic waste bag, leaving a small opening at the top so that steam can enter and escape. Place the bag in an autoclave-safe tray, and place heat-sensitive tape over the biohazard symbol. After autoclaving, allow the bag to cool and then dispose of it in the dumpster.
To dispose of liquid biohazardous waste, add 10% bleach to the flask and let it sit in the sink for a while, then dump the waste down the drain. Wash the flask and place it on the drying rack.
Chemical Waste
Cleaning Spills
To clean up a biological spill, cover the spill with paper towels and add undiluted bleach. Let it sit, and then dispose of the paper towels in a biohazard waste bin.
Using the Autoclave
Note: Do not change the temperature on the autoclaves in the Biochemistry Building.
Use autoclave gloves when loading/unloading the autoclave. A face shield can also be used to prevent steam burns.
Liquids
Be sure to loosen caps before autoclaving liquids. Autoclave for 30 minutes on the liquid setting. After autoclaving, open the door and allow the liquids to cool slightly before moving the tray to prevent boiling over.
Solids
Autoclave for 30 minutes on the gravity setting, then move to the dryer overnight.
Do Not Autoclave...
- Hazardous chemical waste. E.g. bleach, ethidium bromide, HCl, chloroform...
- Radioactive waste.
- Non-autoclave-safe plastics.
