This page is intended as a reference for waste disposal for the College of Chemistry in Gilman, Tan, Lewis, Latimer, and Hildebrand. It summarizes the best ways to minimize and dispose of waste, organized by type. The information on this page has primarily been culled from:

UC Berkeley Office of Environment, Health & Safety
Campus Recycling and Refuse Services
Who does it! Where to find it! How to do it safely!

The University of California Offices of Environment, Heathy & Safety have compiled a comprehensive list of Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) online.

Scroll down for more information on how to dispose of each of these categories of waste. If you have questions contact Katharine Geramita or Paul Albertus. The student organizations Chemists for Peace and Students for a Greener Berkeley have been involved in this project.

For more information on recycling and waste disposal, you can also visit the page for the Materials Science and Engineering Department.

Paper Products
Mixed paper
Cardboard

Plastic, Metal and Glass
Cans and bottles
Scrap metal
Packing Materials (boxes, foam "peanuts", etc.)

Equipment
Computers/Electronic Waste
Copier and printer ink and toner cartridges
Lab Salvage
Office Supplies
Batteries

Paper Products

Mixed P aper
Much of our waste stream consists of paper products and much of this waste can be recycled in the blue bins placed in most of the College of Chemistry rooms. Here is a brief listing of what can and can't go in these bins. Also check the Campus Recycling FAQ page (http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~recycle/faqs.htm) for more info.

Yes - ok to put in blue bins

• white paper
• color paper
• regular and window envelopes
• soft and hardbound notebooks
• glossy paper
• newspaper copy
• paper wrap
• bound or spiral notebooks
• carbonless forms
• flattened cardboard boxes
• staples, paper clips and other fasteners are ok!

No - not ok to put in blue bins

• food-contaminated paper
• non-paper waste
• paper towels
• paper cups
• bottles and cans

Cardboard
Small boxes can be flattened and put in the blue paper recycling bins. Large boxes should be flattened and put in the cardboard recycling dumpsters near Gilman Hall.

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Plastic, Metal and Glass

Cans and Bottles
These are distinguished from general food waste becasue they can be recycled, re-used, or turned in for money. There are now four bottle and can recycling bins located in the College of Chemistry: two in 775 Tan Hall, one in 205 Gilman, and one in 403 Lewis. The criterion of "eligible" is the same as for the rest of campus, see the Campus Recycling FAQpage.

You can put the bottles and cans you collect in your lab group into one of the four bottle and can bins, but it would be even better if you emptied your cans and bottles into the big blue bin labeled "Can and Bottles" in the loading dock of Hildebrand.

Yes - eligible bottles & cans (4 KINDS ONLY)

• aluminum cans
• glass bottles
• plastic bottles #1
• plastic bottles #2

No - not ok to put in with eligible bottles & cans (campus wide rules)

• aluminum foil, whether dirty or clean
• any other plastic items, even if #1 or #2
• "tin" cans

Packing Materials
These materials can often be reused many times before their useful life is over. Some mailing/shipping stores will gladly accept these materials. Another idea is to offer it on Craigslist. Packing peanuts are also collected at LBL. You can also take them to the loading dock in Hildebrand to see if the employees there might be able to resuse them.

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Equipment

Computers/Electronic Waste
Contact Excess, Surplus, & Salvage at 642-1186, fax: 642-5936, or by campus mail, 6701 San Pablo Ave., Mail Code: #5604 to have your computer deinventoried and to arrange for a pick-up.

Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT's) from TV's & Computer Monitors
Cathode ray tubes (CRT's) are made of leaded glass (glass containing lead) and are thus considered hazardous waste. See the EH&S fact sheet on electronic waste for more info. To recycle intact CRT's, contact Excess, Surplus and Salvage (642-1186) for pick up. To dispose of cracked or broken CRT's, which can be a health hazard, refer to the EH&S fact sheetand contact EH&S (642-3073)for disposal.

Copier and Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges
Copiers/Fax Machines/Laser Printers: Empty toner containers can be disposed of in the normal trash stream. However, it is better to recycle them as listed below. If you have a unneeded full container, note that it is considered hazardous waste. Please contact EH&S (642-3073) for proper disposal.

To recycle empty containers, please follow the directions as listed by Campus Recycling and Refuse Services. These directions (7/14/04 version) are reproduced verbatim here.

• Copiers/Fax Machines/Laser Printers: Place the Campus Recycling & Refuse Services (CRRS)-provided mailing label on your boxed, used toner cartridge. Multiple cartridges can be mailed at once as long as they are in a labeled box. The original toner cartridge box or another box is OK. Remanufactured toner cartridges are not accepted. Give the box(es) to UPS for mailing.
• Ink Jet Printers: Place individual used ink jet toner cartridges in CRRS-provided ink jet pouches. Put the pouch in the regular U.S. mail.
• If you have more than 10 used toner cartridges, there are other options. Contact CRRS for mailing labels or ink jet pouches.

Note also that if toner and ink cartridges are not completely empty, they can usually be user refilled or refilled by companies such as Cartridge World at 2161 Allston Way. This can often be a significant cost savings over purchasing new cartridges.

Excess, Surplus, & Salvage Items
Unwanted University propety should be disposed of through the Cal Overstock and Surplus Den. These items are available for sale and are auctioned off periodically. Examples include furniture, computers, lab equipment, etc. Please do not place these items in the hallways as they create a fire hazard and your group may be cited by the fire marshall.

Office Supplies
Many office supplies can be used by someone else; offer them around to other department members before disposing of them. Alternatively, organizations exist that redistribute used office supplies.

The student-run Campus Re-Use Organization currently accepts the following items:

• binders
• hole-punchers
• calculators
• bulletin boards
• desk trays
• books
• file folders
• clothes hangers
• computer accessories
• extension cords
• readers
• notebooks
• folders
• one-sided paper
• pens, pencils
• scissors
• toys
• phone cords
• desk lamps
• clothes
• moving boxes

Batteries
Batteries of all types (including normal alkaline AAA, AA, C, D, 9V, etc.) are considered hazardous waste because of the heavy metals and corrosives they contain - they should not be thrown away in the normal trash. See the EH&S page on batteries for more info. Batteries used as part of work at the College of Chem at UC Berkeley will be collected for disposal by Russ Blackmar, extension 3-0526.

BATTERIES FROM HOME should be disposed on in your municipal hazardous waste collection, not brought in to campus for disposal. Contacts for battery disposal by county:

• Alameda County: (800) 606-6606 or www.stopwaste.org
• West Contra Costa County (Richmond): (888) 412-9277
• Central Contra Costa County (Martinez): (800) 646-1431
• San Francisco City and County: (415) 554-4333
• also, Art's Automotive (2871 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA (510) 540-7093, will accept batteries of all sorts at a cost of $1.29 /lb.

External link: EH&S: Help us keep batteries out of UC Berkeley's trash.