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Safety

Disposing of Waste

Biohazardous Waste

Solid biohazardous waste should be autoclaved in the kill autoclaves in the Biochemistry Building at 121 degrees for an hour. Put autoclave tape over the biohazard symbol prior to autoclaving, or place the bag in a black trash bag prior to disposal. 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.

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.

Glassware

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.