Lab pack service providers are hazardous waste disposal companies specializing in collecting, packaging, and transporting small quantities of hazardous waste for disposal. These wastes, principally chemicals, are generated in laboratories, educational and research institutions, medical facilities, veterinarians, embalmers, and small businesses. Lab pack providers offer expertise in handling various types of hazardous materials generated in small quantities, ensuring that they are managed in compliance with environmental and safety regulations.
What Is a Lab Pack?
Short for laboratory packs, “lab packs” are typically 5-to 55-gallon drums or cubic yard-sized boxes filled with separately packaged smaller containers of hazardous wastes and related materials. For example, within the drums or boxes, small batches of used, expired, dated, or damaged chemical wastes are packed in small containers and sorted based on their hazardous characteristics, such as the material’s corrosivity, toxicity, reactivity, or flammability.
Lab packs are commonly used anywhere small volumes of hazardous chemicals and other hazardous materials accumulate over time. The purpose of lab packs is essential for safely managing small quantities of hazardous materials for transport to a disposal facility without the risk of leaks or contamination.
What to Consider When Choosing a Lab Pack Service Company
When selecting hazardous waste disposal companies, it’s essential to consider what service options the lab pack provider offers and if they fit your organization’s needs. Keep in mind that choosing the right service provider can have a significant impact on the operations of your business or organization. To make an informed decision, consider critical factors that set each service apart. Here are 5 to consider.
1. What Are Your Disposal Requirements
It’s important to choose a company that meets your disposal requirements. Not all waste removal service providers handle or are licensed to dispose of hazardous waste properly. Though it sounds obvious, if you’re hiring a waste removal service for your facility, be sure that they’re licensed for hazardous waste removal and disposal. Consider hazardous waste disposal companies that offer a range of services tailored to your company’s needs, be it their pickup schedule or to ensure the proper packaging, transportation, and disposal of your hazardous materials. “Proper” means that the provider’s services completely comply with all state and federal regulations and guidelines for safely handling, transporting, and disposing of your hazardous waste.
2. What is the Company’s Expertise and Experience
Regarding regulatory compliance, your lab pack service provider must have the certifications and licenses to handle hazardous waste according to local, state, and federal regulations. This is especially important because you, as a hazardous waste generator, have a “cradle-to-grave” responsibility for that waste’s entire lifecycle. Even after the material has left the facility, you, the generator, are liable for its safe transport, treatment, and ultimate disposal. That means that to ensure your facility or organization is in full compliance, your lab pack provider must have the expertise, industry experience, and regulatory knowledge to manage your hazardous waste removal properly.
3. Does the Company Offer Packaging Services
Lab packing requires careful consideration and planning to ensure that chemicals or hazardous materials are properly packaged and transported. The material must be identified, inventoried, and sorted based on its dangerous properties. They must be adequately packaged within the correct DOT-approved containers and packed with the appropriate packing materials to prevent any spillage from shifting or leaking during transportation. Though you may conduct your research to ensure compliance with regulations and safety standards, it may be in your best interests to have a lab pack service do that for you. The provider supplies the correct drums, containers, absorbent materials, and other necessary packaging materials and can even pack for you. They ensure that each container is safely packed within each drum to prevent the risk of leaks or contamination during transport.
4. Consider Labeling and Documentation Needs
Proper labeling and documentation of containers and drums are required for compliance with regulations. Consider a service provider that labels all hazardous waste according to its type, hazards, and other necessary information. Providers can also prepare the required documentation for legal and regulatory compliance, such as waste manifests and shipping papers.
5. Transportation Requirements
As mentioned above, business owners are responsible for the lifecycle of the hazardous waste they generate, which includes its safe transportation to a designated TSDF (Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility), the final step in the cradle-to-grave management of hazardous waste. When considering a lab pack service provider, verify that they have the licenses and permits required by the DOT and EPA and whatever state licenses are required to convey hazardous material to an approved disposal or treatment facility. In Maine, for example, service providers transporting waste must have a hazardous waste manifest to track the movement of hazardous waste and carry a transporter license issued by the Department of Environmental Protection.
Contact the Lab Pack Experts at Maine Labpack
Maine Labpack is a leading provider of lab pack services throughout the Pine Tree State and nearly all of New England. We manage all aspects of lab packing and offer a full range of services, from onsite assessment, packing, transportation, and disposal to environmental health and safety audits. Our chemists arrive onsite to identify, sort, and inventory your hazardous waste and then package it in compliance with DOT and EPA guidelines. The waste is then adequately labeled and marked for transport to a transfer, storage, and designated disposal facility for final destruction. For more information on how we can help you with your disposal needs, contact Maine Labpack.