Hazardous waste minimization is an important goal of Northeastern University. By safely recycling or sharing chemicals on campus, we can reduce hazardous waste volumes generated on campus.

In addition to commonly recyclable materials, there are numerous items that must be recycled with special handlings, such as batteries, light bulbs, mercury-containing equipment, and electronic waste. Northeastern’s Materials and Recycling team, in collaboration with other Facilities and campus staff, diverts specialty items from the waste stream

Northeastern’s Office of Office of Academic and Research Safety (OARS) provides an extensive list of fact sheets that provide a detailed explanation of how to address all kinds of potentially dangerous waste and more. 

This chart is intended as an indication of some of the hazards that can be expected in mixing chemical wastes. It cannot be assumed to ensure compatibility of wastes because wastes are not classified as hazardous on the chart, nor do any blanks necessarily mean that the mixture cannot result in a hazard occurring.

Hazardous Wastes at Northeastern University are regulated according to regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Harvard University has standardized labels that are to be used on every container of chemical waste in the university. These labels are formatted for compliance with all federal and local regulatory agencies.

This detailed matrix provides a simple tool to help identify waste type and all of the required steps in order to dispose of it properly. 

For more information on how to properly address the disposal of empty containers, please visit the following page. 

The Contingency Plan outlines the University response organization, resources available and methods used to deal with a hazardous waste spill that could occur.