Waste Management
General All waste has to be sorted according to type. It is IMPORTANT that routines are followed and that one makes an enquiry if you are in doubt as to how some particular form of waste has to be treated. The main rule is that the individual who has produced a form of waste is responsible for clearing it up.
Hazardous Waste
The guidelines aim to ensure that dangerous waste is treated in such a manner that it does not contaminate or harm the environment, animals or humans. All hazardous waste shall be declared electronically using the form located at the HSE-gateway for UoB.
Classification
All chemical waste, which according to current laws and legislation, is classified as hazardous waste. It has to be registered and placed in the storage room for hazardous waste (See map of waste disposal rooms).
UoB has zero tolerance for the disposal of chemical substances by pouring them into the sink. In practice this means that virtually all chemical waste is to be regarded as hazardous waste.
Gloves and other consumables that have been in contact with chemical substances during laboratory experiments can be disposed of as problematic waste.
Packaging
As far as possible it is desired that all hazardous waste for disposal should be delivered in its original packaging. If this is not possible then other containers, boxes or plastic cans that satisfy the accepted criteria for storage of the material in question, can be used. Place the containers inside a red box, found at the hazardous waste room, after declaring the waste. Multiple containers should fit inside the same red box, however, only one waste number may be stored inside a single box!
Remember to declare all hazardous waste! Use the electronic declaration form found at the HSE-gateway for UoB.
For larger amounts of fluid waste one can use plastic canisters (10 liter) that are to be found in the room for hazardous waste (See map of waste disposal rooms).
Use blue cans for fluid chemicals containing a halogen and white cans for those without halogens. Several smaller cans and boxes must be placed together in red waste boxes.
NB! Liquid waste that develops gas or evaporates must not be stored in glass bottles! This can lead to the bottle breaking or exploding.
Declaration and labelling
One who has generated waste material must fill out a registration form called ”Declaration form for hazardous waste at UoB”, and this has to be attached to the red box or can. The Declaration form can be found on the HSE-gateway for UoB.
All entries marked with a red star is mandatory. The form will automatically be sent to the person responsible for the waste room, and the person declaring the waste.
Print out the form you receive by email and attach it to the red box or can with hazardous waste.
Collection
Place the labelled hazardous waste in the room for hazardous waste in the first floor (See map of waste disposal rooms).
The person responsible for the hazardous waste room and the operation manager will make sure routines for collection is followed. Hazardous waste is collected as needed.
Explosive waste
Waste that is explosive in nature is difficult to transport to an approved receiving centre. All those that work with chemicals must therefore make themselves aware of which compounds can be potentially explosive, either when purchased or when stored over time (for example peroxide forming chemicals).
In order to avoid problems with explosives one has to follow the routines for the handling of such compounds the University of Bergen has made guidelines which can be fond on their web-page. You can also find a list over common explosive chemicals (Norwegian only).
If you want to dispose of explosive waste, contact the person responsible for the hazardous waste at IBM Juha Vahokoski (Juha.Vahokoski@uib.no| 55 58 60 53 | Fellesavdelingen 6etg).
Radioactive waste
All waste from radioactive sources should be placed in black waste containers.
There are several types of radioactive waste and these should be treated differently.
- Nuclides that can obtain decay within one year, e.g. F-18, P-32, P-33, Cr-51, I-124.
- Nuclides that do not decay within one year. The most commonly used are H-3, C-14 and I-125. The black containers must contain a total amount of activity that is less than the exemption limit, and can be sent as radioactive waste to Senja Avfall IKS upon agreement.
- Nuclides that do not achieve decay within one year and that contain nuclides with a total amount of activity greater than the exception limit. Example here is uranyl acetate. This type of waste must be sent to IFE as radioactive waste.
Marking of black waste containers
Attach stickers (see image) to at least two sides of the black waste container. Stickers are available in the waste room of isotopes (1A109aF).
Storage of isotopes decaying within a year (e.g., F-18, P-32, and I-124)
In addition to stickers, the black waste container should be clearly marked with a well-attached declaration form with its contents:
- nuclide
- total activity
- quantity
- weight
- packing date
- name
After packing, the black waste container is placed for decay in the room at ground floor (se oversiktskart). Remember to declare the radioactive waste with the hazardous waste disposal form found on the HSE portal (Waste declaration), then the local waste contact will be notified. In addition, one must remember to weigh waste containers accurately. See (HSE-portal) for more information. When the isotope has "ticked out" after about 10 times of half-life, the waste can be treated as normal problem waste. The waste contact person takes care of this.
Intermediate storage of radioactive waste to waste processing facilities:
Labelling of radioactive waste containers
In addition to stickers, the black waste container should be clearly marked with a well-attached declaration form with contents:
- nuclide
- total activity*
- quantity
- weight
- packing date
- name
After packing, the black waste container is brought for intermediate storage in the room at the ground floor (se oversiktskart). Remember to declare the radioactive waste with the hazardous waste disposal form found on the HSE portal, then the waste contact will be notified. In addition, one must remember to weigh the waste container accurately.
Shipment of waste to disposal site
For waste below the exemption limit that is sent to Senja for incineration, the waste container having warning stickers for radioactive waste are removed before shipment (unntakskolli) and marked the black waste containers with a white marker with a declaration number. Radioactive waste to IFA is sent as normal without removing stickers. The waste contact person takes care of this.
Problematic waste
Pathological waste
All waste consisting of animals or tissue remains, cells, micro-organisms or blood, constitutes problematic waste. Should this waste represent any risk of causing infection then it must be autoclaved before being placed in a yellow plastic container (30 or 50 litre). In addition, all contaminated flasks, tubes, gloves and other soiled items must be placed in a yellow plastic container.
Glass, metal and sharps waste
Needles, scalpel blades, knife blades, razor blades and other items that are sharp, cutting or piercing by nature, and waste of metal. All of these are to be placed in boxes for needles (yellow plastic boxes) or other plastic bottles. Whole or broken glass and other sharp, or piercing waste of glass, can be put into boxes for needles (yellow plastic boxes) or other plastic bottles which are then placed in a yellow plastic container (30 or 50 litre). Large items of glass/broken glass are placed directly into a yellow plastic container for problematic waste.
Cytostatica
All waste following the use of cytostatica is considered as problematic waste, but remains of stock solutions are to be regarded as hazardous waste and must be treated as such.
Packaging
Problem waste is collected in 30 or 50 liter yellow plastic containers and the stopper put into place only when the container is full.
Boxes containing sharps are also to be packed into these plastic containers. Larger items of glass/broken glass can be placed directly into a plastic container.
Boxes for needles, plastic containers and packaging labels for registration of problem waste are to be found in the room for storage of dangerous waste on the first floor (See map of waste disposal rooms).
NB! Remember: Do not close the lid until the container is full. The lid has a glue seal that when closed cannot be opened.
Labelling
An orange label marked «FORBRENNING» (Norwegian for combustion) shall be placed on the container. The sticker can be found in the room for hazardous waste (See map of waste disposal rooms).
Indicate what kind of waste it is and write:
- date
- department
- phone number
- full name with capital letters
Collection
Place the yellow box, after labelling it correctly, in the cold storage waste room at the first floor (See map of waste disposal rooms). The problematic waste is normally collected every Wednesday.
Note! There is a special arrangement for the collection of problematic waste from the gray zone, 7th floor (contact person: Torhild Sunde).
Consumer waste
Cardboard and paper waste
In the exit areas close to the elevators on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors and by the goods lift to the east on the 2nd and 4th floors there are waste collection stations for cardboard (papp) and paper (papir). Regarding cardboard boxes it is recommended to flatten them before placing in the waste container. Large boxes are to be taken directly to the waste room in the first floor, placed beside the compressing machine (See map of waste disposal rooms).
"Teknisk fellesavdeling" is responsible for changing full containers with empty ones.
Plastic waste
Plastic recycling at IBM only recycles clean plastic film / plastic packaging material (soft). There is a sack in the goods reception area for this (See map of waste disposal rooms).
All other plastic is treated as residual waste!
Residual waste
Small amounts of paper, plastic and all contaminated plastic material, and food residuals that are natural to dispose of in the ordinary rubbish bins constitute residual waste. As a main rule the bins are routinely emptied by the cleaning personnel. Since not all rubbish bins are emptied on a daily basis, strongly smelling food residuals must, on the same day, be deposited in the waste container placed in the waste-collection room on the first floor (See map of waste disposal rooms).
Alternatively such residuals can be placed in one of the rubbish bins found in the seminar rooms since these are emptied every day.
All styrofoam waste is to be treated as residual waste.
Additional resources
Additional information can be found here:
- Link to the HSE-gateway for waste
- Guidlines for handeling special- and problematic waste at UoB
- Environment status in Norway - waste
- Law regarding contamination and waste (Norwegian only)
- Law regarding radioactivity (Norwegian only)
Contact information and map
For questions regarding waste handling refer to:
| Contact person for hazardous- and problematic waste at IBM | Juha Vahokoski | 55 58 60 53 | Juha.Vahokoski@uib.no |
| Contact person for pathological waste on the seventh floor | Torhild F. Sunde | 55 58 63 90 | Torhild.Sunde@uib.no |
