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ORF Home > Environmental Protection > Waste Disposal > Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Guidance

Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Guidance

  • Maintain and track chemical inventories to help avoid purchase of chemicals already on hand.     
  • Buy chemicals only in amounts needed
  • Review experimental protocol to assure that chemical usage is minimized                              
  • Search for safer substitutes and use less toxic chemicals that are environmentally friendly
  • Substitute detergents for chromium based glass cleaners                                                                  
  • Use biodegradable scintillation cocktails that are not aromatic hydrocarbon-based
  • Share excess or unwanted chemicals with other researchers
  • Avoid mixing hazardous and nonhazardous waste
  • Attempt to return unused chemicals to vendor if possible
  • Avoid excess use of water

​EPA Pollution Prevention Guideline External Site

EPA guidance on waste minimization, green purchasing, and recycling  
NIH Environmental Management System (NEMS) 
NIH Environmental Policy

 

  

 
This page was last updated on Jun 02, 2026