Laboratory Waste Disposal & Management
Laboratory waste is material generated in places such as medical facilities, pathology and research centres, and universities. These materials can include pharmaceuticals, acids, paints, oxidisers, oil, batteries, pesticides and more.
All these materials can potentially cause serious harm to humans and the environment if left untreated. Therefore, laboratories must follow strict disposal management plans to reduce this risk.
Ace Waste’s waste management plans and facilities fully comply with all state laws and regulations. You can trust our team to provide efficient waste collection services for laboratories, ensuring proper disposal of chemical waste regardless of size. Contact us directly or keep reading to learn more.
Ensuring that your laboratory waste disposal processes align with state and environmental regulations will help your facility to:
- Avoid costly penalties
- Reduce your environmental impact
- Protect your facility from harmful exposure.
So, to ensure your medical laboratory waste is managed safely, call the Ace Waste team today. We also have a wide range of laboratory waste bins and containers, trusted by many medical and research centres across QLD and VIC.
What are the Different Types of Laboratory WasteIn Australia, laboratory waste is divided into four main categories:
Chemical (hazardous)
Most laboratories will contain various types of hazardous chemicals. These can include:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Paints and Solvents
- Oxidisers and Gas Cylinders
- Poisons and Toxins
- Pesticides and Herbicides
- Acids and Alkalis.
In Australia, laboratory waste is divided into four main categories:
Chemical (hazardous)
Most laboratories will contain various types of hazardous chemicals. These can include:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Paints and Solvents
- Oxidisers and Gas Cylinders
- Poisons and Toxins
- Pesticides and Herbicides
- Acids and Alkalis.
Clinical (Infectious or Biohazardous)
Clinical or infectious laboratory waste is any material with the potential to cause or spread human disease, for example:
- Biological matter (blood, bodily fluids, human remains etc.)
- Sharps (needles, scalpels etc.)
- Any equipment or material that has come into contact with infectious waste.
Animal waste
Uncontaminated biological material that turns into pathological waste during decomposition, such as:
- Animal carcasses, body parts and tissue
- Animal food, litter, or faeces.
Radioactive
Any solvent-based or water-based liquid scintillants, glass, plastics or dry materials that contain radioactive content.
Disposing of Chemicals in a LabManufacturers must provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each chemical in Australia. This document outlines their unique properties and storage, handling, and disposal guidelines. By law, laboratories must not pour hazardous chemicals down drains or sinks.
Manufacturers must provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for each chemical in Australia. This document outlines their unique properties and storage, handling, and disposal guidelines. By law, laboratories must not pour hazardous chemicals down drains or sinks.
Instead, they must be stored in appropriate, leak-proof containers and collected by a tracked, licensed disposal service, such as Ace Waste. Likewise, any contaminated materials must be disposed of in a clearly labelled, yellow-based bin with an orange lid or a purple bin for cytotoxic waste.
Once collected, chemical waste must be incinerated using EPA-approved processes and facilities. Ace Waste proudly owns two of Australia’s largest incineration plants, which feature advanced and sustainable technology to treat and dispose of all hazardous chemicals safely.
Clinical Waste in Medical Laboratories
Clinical or infectious laboratory waste must be segregated, labelled and disposed of in durable yellow bags or bins. Cytotoxic and radioactive materials, however, use different colours for extra protection (red and purple). Ace Waste provides sturdy laboratory waste bins and containers in various sizes.
Clinical waste disposal methods will vary depending on your state laws. However, immediate landfill disposal of chemical, cytotoxic, clinical and radioactive wastes in Australia is not permitted. Instead, a licensed facility must first treat it via incineration to eliminate its toxicity.
Why Choose Ace Waste for your Laboratory Waste Disposal
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have some queries? See if we can help answer some of them.
How does your clinical waste service work?
Our service process is quite simple: we supply the waste containers and collect them as per the agreed schedule. We will then dispose of them in our incineration facility, where all waste will be completely destroyed.
Can I bring clinical waste to your facility for disposal?
Ace Waste currently provides a full clinical waste collection and disposal service for our clients. If you would like to discuss options regarding the disposal of waste please contact our team at your nearest facility to discuss.
Please see our Contact Us page for more details.
Can I use my own bin?
Ace Waste will supply any necessary bins and containers for the safe disposal and collection of the clinical waste.
Please also see our full list of Clinical waste disposal bins.
Does the Ace Waste driver decant the waste from the bin?
Ace Waste provides an exchange service for all waste containers. In this process, all supplied waste containers are brought back to our facility for weighing, emptying and disposal of the waste material. The containers are then cleaned prior to being returned.
Please see our list of available Waste disposal services.
Do I need an account?
Ace Waste offers pay in advance/cash sale options for everything except ongoing services relating to Ace’s assets. Talk to our team and we can find a flexible solution for you.
Can I dispose of Sharps Containers purchased elsewhere?
Yes, all sharps containers can be collected and disposed of by Ace Waste. Sharps containers can also be placed into Ace Waste supplied Clinical Waste bin to ensure the safe collection, transport and disposal of the waste.
Ace Waste can also supply new containers at the time of service. Please see our list of available Products.
Is there a minimum contract?
There are no minimum contracts when it comes to working with Ace Waste.
Please Contact Us for any enquiries you might have.
Can I pay using a credit card?
Ace Waste provides the ability to pay using credit card. Please contact our team to assist with your payment. Unfortunately, we do not accept American Express cards (AMEX).
Please see our Contact Us page for details.
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