The use of chemicals, solvents, and hazardous materials is often a given in our labs, and Pitt’s Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) department works every day to mitigate and manage regulated wastes at Pitt, including chemicals. In addition to appropriately managing these wastes, you can help minimize hazardous waste produced by your lab by opting for safer solvents and greener chemicals.
Read on below for information and programs to reduce hazardous waste in the lab setting:
- Follow the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and/or the 12 Principles of Green Engineering in your lab. Share this information with your labmates.
- Enroll in a Green Chemistry course for higher education through Beyond Benign, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainability in laboratories through education.
- Millipore Sigma’s DOZN Quantitative Green Chemistry Evaluator is a great tool to help researchers compare the impact and toxicity of chemicals and processes.
- Use safer solvents, as indicated in this EPA guide, in place of solvents that are more volatile and hazardous to human health.
- Limit the volumes of chemical wastes your lab generates by scaling down experiments when appropriate and creating standard operating procedures for common higher risk experiments.
- Make sure all electronic equipment is made with RoHS compliant materials.
- Use mercury-free thermometers and mercury and metal-halide free microscope light bulbs.
- Purchase chemicals in the smallest quantity needed and use the EH&S Chemical Waste Program to properly dispose of chemical wastes.
Head to MyGreenLab for more resources on benign and green chemistry