Materials:

• Five-gallon plastic pails provided by EHS:                    
  • White for H-3 and C-14 and any isotopes with half-lives > 120 days
  • Gray for P-32
  • Blue for P-33, S-35 and I-125 and any isotopes with half-lives  < 120 days   
• 8 ml yellow plastic pail liners provided by EHS                                                
• Yellow ID tags provided by EHS
• Waste Pail Registers for Long-Lived and Liq Scint Waste (electronic form provided by EHS)
• String, tape or twist-ties to seal the liners after use  (the lab provides these items)

Setting up the Pail for Lab Use

Remove the lid and open the yellow pail liner within the pail.  Pull the top of the liner over the outside edge of can.   Open the liner fully by pushing the bottom of the liner all the way down to the bottom of the pail.

Adding Waste to the Pail

Permissible Waste

• Dry materials including bench paper, paper towels, gloves, etc.
• Damp materials and droplet amounts of liquids contained in tubes or pipette tips (< 50 ul/tube; no tubes containing free-flowing liquids)
• Sharps (must be placed into a sharps container labeled as Radioactive.  When the sharps container is full, close it and add it to the pail.)
• Radioactive gels should be disposed of in the solid radioactive waste bins and not down the sink. They do not need to go in a secondary container in the solid waste bins.

Prohibited Materials

• Lead
• Unprotected sharps
• Tubes with free-flowing liquids
• Isotopes that do not fit the category of the waste pail (see pail colors under Materials above)
• Mixed waste (waste that contains both radioactivity and hazardous chemical components)

Estimating Amount of Radioactivity

• For the white pails, you must provide a reasonable estimate of the amount of radioactivity in the pail.  Keep a Waste Pail Register near the pail.  Each time you add waste to the pail, list the date of entry and the estimated activity placed into the pail on the Register.
• For the gray and blue pails, a careful estimate of the amount of radioactivity in the pail is not needed.  It is not necessary to keep a Register for these pails.

Preparing the Pail for EHS Waste Collection

1. Pull up the top of the pail liner.  Close the neck of the bag and twist it.  Tie it securely closed with string or tape or twist-ties.    
2. Pail must not be overfilled – you must be able to close it and seal the bag.  EHS will not accept overfilled pails. 
3. Place the lid on the pail and twist the lid securely shut.
4. Complete the ID Tag.  Note that the Date on the tag is the date on which you deliver the pail to EHS.

Transferring Waste Pails to EHS

Do not overfill the pail.  In order to hand over the pail to EHS, you must be able to pull up the neck of the bag, twist it closed, and close the lid on the pail.