Hazardous Waste Segregation and Compatibility

Some hazardous materials, when mixed, can cause dangerous reactions such as the production of excessive heat, harmful gasses, or even explosions. To prevent such situations, various chemical types must be kept away from each other.

Using product labels and the MSDS to segregate waste

Product labels and MSDSs often provide segregation instructions. The content of MSDSs have improved over the years, so if you have a MSDS that is more than a couple of years old, you should get a more current version. The ESH Web site has links to several MSDS databases.

Using a compatibility chart to segregate chemicals

Many types of compatibility charts are available, including several at the SLAC Stores (search for "chart"). Some charts are generic, listing the chemical groups while others list specific chemicals. A simple generic chart is shown below.