Aerosol Cans
An aerosol can is defined as a non-refillable receptacle containing a gas compressed, liquefied, or dissolved under pressure, the sole purpose of which is to expel a liquid, paste, or powder and fitted with a self-closing release device allowing the contents to be ejected by the gas.
Aerosol cans frequently contain flammable propellants such as propane or butane which can cause the aerosol can to demonstrate the hazardous characteristic for ignitability, and may also be a hazardous waste for other reasons when discarded.
Lamps
The EPA defines a lamp as the bulb or tube portion of an electric lighting device. A lamp is specifically designed to produce radiant energy most often in the ultraviolet, visible, and infra-red regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Examples of common universal waste electric lamps include, but are not limited to, fluorescent, high intensity discharge, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium, and metal halide lamps.
Batteries
Batteries are collected and managed by Environmental
Health & Safety (EH&S) in order to prevent potentially hazardous constituents from reaching unapproved recycling or disposal facilities.
Labeling
Batteries that qualify as Universal Waste shall be labeled with a “Universal Waste” label. Larger batteries may be labeled individually.
Packaging of Regulated Batteries
Regulated batteries should be stored in such a manner that the terminals do not come in contact with the terminals of another battery. This can be achieved by taping the terminals, bagging batteries individually in plastic “Ziploc” bags or placing them in individual containers. Once terminal segregation is achieved batteries may be placed in containers together for disposal.
Lead Acid Batteries (Pb-acid):
Lead acid batteries destined for disposal are considered hazardous due to the lead content and corrosive nature of the acid inside the battery. Lead acid batteries are managed as Universal Waste. These batteries come in various sizes and shapes and are most commonly found in medical equipment, battery backup systems/UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply),
and in motorized vehicles such as automobiles or golf carts.
Nickel-Cadmium Batteries (Ni-Cd):
Nickel Cadmium batteries are considered hazardous due to their cadmium, a toxic heavy metal, content. Ni-Cd batteries come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and are mostly found in power tools and medical equipment. They are commonly wrapped or packaged together, but may also look similar to common alkaline batteries.
Lithium Batteries (Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), Lithium Polymer (Li-Poly), Lithium Metal, etc.):
By design, batteries containing lithium have a relatively dense energy storage capacity, and therefore are used in common electrical devices such as cell phones, laptops, power tools, etc. These styles of batteries may react dangerously when handled or stored improperly (e.g. punctured, overheated, etc.), so caution must be taken when handling them. Lithium batteries come in a variety of shapes and sizes; be sure to inspect the label of each battery.
Mercury & Silver Batteries
Mercury and silver batteries are considered hazardous for their heavy metal constituents. Although these types of batteries are quickly being replaced by safer materials such as lithium, they can still be found in watches, calculators, hearing aids and other small electronic devices.
Pesticides
defines a pesticide as any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest, or intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, with the exception of any that is (a) a new animal drug under FFDCA section 201(w), or (b) an animal drug that has been determined by regulation of the Secretary of Health and Human Services not to be a new animal drug, or (c) an animal feed under FFDCA section 201(x) that bears or contains any substances described by either (a) or (b).
