What do you do with leftover extraction reagents - Test kit leftovers (Aug/29/2007 )
I've run into a problem where I have many bottles of leftover reagents from RNA and DNA extraction kits. We don't reuse the columns or tubes, but what do you do with leftover buffers? I can't find out the contents because, aside from the ethanol we add, they're proprietary. 
Although they are proprietary, the main hazardous components of these kits are NaOH, SDS and guanidium salts so you should take that into account in your waste disposal. We normally collect these wastes and have them disposed of professionally.
more and more companies provide their buffer composition now. Or you may ask company how to handle these solution. (ex you can't throw away binding buffer if contains guanidine thiocyanate.
Bitesizebio, we have our wastes professionally disposed of as well. I have to know the contents to send them out, though. I guess I should consolidate them and ask the company.
Thanks
For the Qiagen kits, we dispose of any excess reagents in a sink with lots of water. The waste in the columns gets discarded down the drain as well.
Ummm... pool excess reagent of similar type into a bottle and store it for future use.
Somehow I feel odd for advocating such a meassure.
Somehow I feel odd for advocating such a meassure.
especially for the new students to use... as they may misread the protocol of the kit and use more than necessary amount of buffer in the experiment.
Then one type of buffer may run out before all the columns are used up.
