13 replies to this topic

[Ameya P]

Hi all,

Just wanted to know what methods you use for disposal of agarose gels?

I am aware most institutions have boxes/ buckets etc, to collect them. What I am not sure about is how are they disposed off after that?

Are they autoclaved, incinerated or do they go to the landfill?

Thanks!!!

[Adrian K]

My institution: collect and incinerate. Haha...

[Ameya P]

Adrian,

I thought your PI's Policy was to reuse gels till they disappear....


But thanks.... you are the first poster....
I gift you the number '600' next to your posts!!!

[Adrian K]

Haha... almost... I did reuse it quite often....
now perhaps 601?

Ameya, I just found that people had published recently something I was about to send off... I can;t help but crying the whole afternoon.

90% identical work with mine.... same focus, same sample, same approach, just different genes.


Novel Pan-Genomic Analysis Approach in Target Selection for Multiplex PCR Identification and Detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia thailandensis, and Burkholderia cepacia Complex Species: a Proof-of-Concept Study

http://jcm.asm.org/c...stract/49/3/814

[grvsomani]

in our lab we do virological studies.so agarose first autoclaved and then they are insinerated

Edited by grvsomani, 14 April 2011 - 07:30 AM.

[lab rat]

We do genomic studies, and stain with EB. These get collected and shipped to EHS. When I was in a different lab, we set the EB-stained gels in the south window for a day then discarded in the trash. The SYBR safe gels just went into the trash.

[Ameya P]

lab rat, on 15 April 2011 - 06:07 PM, said:

When I was in a different lab, we set the EB-stained gels in the south window for a day then discarded in the trash.

Could you elaborate on the 'south window' please lab rat ?

[pito]

gt_ameya, on 15 April 2011 - 09:17 PM, said:

lab rat, on 15 April 2011 - 06:07 PM, said:

When I was in a different lab, we set the EB-stained gels in the south window for a day then discarded in the trash.

Could you elaborate on the 'south window' please lab rat ?

I think that she means that the sun will break down the EB.
(I dont really know the details about this, but I know some people do this.. )

However: putting in the sun for only one day seems not enough according to what I have heard about it.. (however,  I dont know how much sun they have.. )

Edited by pito, 16 April 2011 - 02:12 AM.

[lab rat]

Yep, I meant in the sunlight, since EB breaks down under UV. I was also told by an older tech that you could throw away only so much per day in the regular trash. Sometimes our gels would sit for a few days before discarding.

To answer Pito's comment, we're on a higher latitude, so we have summer sunlight from 5:30 am to 9 pm. Winter, we have sunlight at noon...sometimes.  

[pito]

lab rat, on 16 April 2011 - 08:33 AM, said:

Yep, I meant in the sunlight, since EB breaks down under UV. I was also told by an older tech that you could throw away only so much per day in the regular trash. Sometimes our gels would sit for a few days before discarding.

To answer Pito's comment, we're on a higher latitude, so we have summer sunlight from 5:30 am to 9 pm. Winter, we have sunlight at noon...sometimes.  

Do you have some more information (paper?) on the details about the break down of EB under sunlight or uvlight?

[noyara]

Hi,
We just discarded in trash.
About EB, we prepared the gel without EB, then after running the gel Immersed it in EB for few min, then destain in dH2O..

[lab rat]

pito, on 18 April 2011 - 05:30 AM, said:

lab rat, on 16 April 2011 - 08:33 AM, said:

Yep, I meant in the sunlight, since EB breaks down under UV. I was also told by an older tech that you could throw away only so much per day in the regular trash. Sometimes our gels would sit for a few days before discarding.

To answer Pito's comment, we're on a higher latitude, so we have summer sunlight from 5:30 am to 9 pm. Winter, we have sunlight at noon...sometimes.  

Do you have some more information (paper?) on the details about the break down of EB under sunlight or uvlight?

I do not. I was told this by the people who trained me to work in the lab. I'll look, though.
I'll also point out that I said that we [the lab I work in now] collect our gels and send them to EHS for disposal. When I was responsible for my own materials, I sent them to be incinerated.

[hobglobin]

I guess normally you cannot escape the hazardous waste regulations of your institution...useful or not. We let the gels dry, to reduce he volume a lot and then they go to special plastics containers for hazardous waste. They are picked up by a company from time to time and I guess then incinerated, too...

[strawberry]

well...no way to get rid of them totally  

but can't we reuse them again in less specific staff..!