Waste

Employees and students at Department of Geoscience are expected to make sure, that the waste produced is handled correctly.

Below you will find a list of waste categories and how you are should handle it.

Ordinary geological waste

Use the black buckets in the laboratories and empty these into the container for geological waste (labelled "deponi") located by the car elevator. Note that the container is only for soil, rock, sediments and never paper, plastic, metal or other materials. The container must only be half filled, otherwise it will be too heavy to handle.

Ordinary geological - from non-EU countries

Note that special rules apply for storage and disposal according to Executive Order 1035 17/12/1997. In principle, the material (and what it has been in contact with, i.e. gloves, bags, utensils, etc.) should be treated as special waste.

 

  • Heating to a minimum of 1000 degrees - then the material can be disposed of as ordinary waste.
  • Autoclaving - the material can then be disposed of as ordinary waste.
  • Collected as "hazardous waste" - it must then be labeled, packaged and disposed of by the chemical waste responsible.

Batteries

Use the battery-station at the elevator on the first floor of building 1674 (in front of the electronics workshop).

Electronics

Use the pallet located at the car lift. 

Glass

Household glass (i.e. jam containers, drinking glasses, bottles) should be delivered to the container by the car lift.

Laboratory glass may only be sorted as normal glass waste if the glass has been used for a pH neutral and odorless chemical and if the bottle is colored. Laboratory glass should always be cleaned and labeled with a white label with the text "rengjort" (clean in Danish). Most laboratories has a container for glass waste. 

If the glass waste does NOT meet the requirements above there is two possibilities:

  • If the glass can't be cleaned, it must be handled as hazardous waste (see chemicals).
  • If the glass can be completely cleaned but does not meet the above requirements, it must be wrapped in paper, cardboard or the like and disposed of in the container for "small flammable" in the parking lot.

Chemical waste

Birte Eriksen is responsible for the chemical waste of the department.

  • Hydrochloric acid is labelled and collected > 10%.
  • Acidic acid is labelled and collected > 5%.
  • Nitric acid is labelled and collected > 5%.
  • Phosphoric acid is labelled and collected > 1%.
  • Hydroflouric acid is labelled and collected > 0,25%.
  • Sodium hydroxide is labelled and collected > 0,5%. 

Refer to specific guidelines for the process and a lab. technician!

Cardboard and paper

By contacting the secretariat you can have a box for you office for paper waste. You must emty it yourself.

Cardboard boxes for paper recycling are not normally emptied in offices. Cardboard and paper are disposed of in a container set up by car lift. Note that cardboard boxes must be folded out.

Next to the car lift you will also find a sealed container for confidential papers etc. for shredding.

Plastic

At the car lift there is a container for plastic waste that can be recycled. There are the following rules, plastic must be:

  • Clean and dry.
  • Hard material.
  • For bottles, cans, etc., the lid must be removed if it is of a different material than the container itself.
  • Completely free of dangerous substances.

 

Hard plastic containing residues of hazardous substances must be treated as hazardous waste (see under chemicals). Other plastics that do not meet the requirements must be disposed of in the container for "small flammable" installed on the parking lot.

Waste bin in office

You have the responsibility to empty your own waste bin in the bins distributed in the hallways. Alternatively dispose of in the container for "small flammable" in the parking lot.