Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste pickups are scheduled on a weekly or as-needed basis. We suggest submitting your request prior to noon on Tuesdays to have the best chance of being in the pickup that week. Occasionally changes are made to the waste pickup schedule due to weather or time constraints. We will communicate these changes to licensees and laboratory contacts via e-mail.ÌıÌıÌıÌı
Common Pickup Related Issues
If you have submitted a Radioactive Waste Pickup Request and your waste was not picked up as scheduled, please check to make sure that the container contents sheet on each container is properly filled out. Radiation Safety can not pick up radioactive waste without a signature, date, and wipe test results recorded on the container contents sheet.
Another common reason your containers might not get picked up as scheduled is incomplete information on the waste pickup request. Please make sure to complete all fields on the radioactive waste request form. Remember: liquid waste requires a percentage equalling 100% of all constituents. Chemical names must be written out (no chemical formulas) and pH must be recorded prior to pick up.
If you are unsure about your waste constituents, or if you plan to create a mixed hazardous-radioactive or biohazardous-radioactive waste, please contact us.
Official Waste Containers for Radioactive Waste
Official waste containers are available from the Radiation Safety Unit. They are the only approved containers for use with radioactive materials at the University. We will replace full containers with empty ones when we pick them up.
Request a Radioactive Waste Pickup
Complete this requestÌıwith information from all containers to be picked up. Use this form for up to 5 containers at a time. If you have more than 5, submit more than one form or use the fax form.ÌıÌıÌıÌı
Waste containers will only be picked up if certain items have been completed. Please make sure you complete the following:
- Tags on full containers completed with waste information
- Tags on full containers signed
- Contamination survey results noted on tag
Radiation Safety must receive this formÌıby noon on Tuesday for pick-up on the following Wednesday morning.
Waste Container Sizes & Types
Twenty gallon solid container, approximately 2 feet tall
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Five gallon solid container, approximately 1 foot tall
Five gallon (20 liter) liquid container, approximately 1 foot tall
One gallon (4 liter) liquid container, approximately 1 foot tall
For scintillation vial pickup, you must distinguish on the form whether your cocktail is non-biodegradable or biodegradable.
Five gallon scintillation vial container, approximately 1 foot tall
Radioactive sharps container, approximately 1 foot tall
