Capital Regional District (CRD) codes of practice

 

The CRD’s Regional Source Control program is a pollution prevention initiative aimed at reducing the amount of contaminants that industry, businesses, institutions and households discharge into the district’s sanitary sewer systems. The program is focused on reduction or elimination of contaminants before they enter the sewer system rather than treating them after they have been mixed with other wastes.

Codes of Practice form one part of the overall Program and are defined as “regulatory documents containing mandatory sanitary sewer discharge standards for specific industrial, institutional or commercial sectors”.

The Laboratory Code of Practice (CoP), therefore, addresses discharges to the sewer system from laboratory operations.
 

Laboratory Code of Practice - Impact on UVic

Occupational Health, Safety and Environment coordinates the disposal hazardous wastes on campus and the majority of laboratory wastes are already being collected utilizing the hazardous waste program. With the introduction of the Lab CoP, it is anticipated that labs will need to collect some additional liquid wastes. This includes, primarily, aqueous wastes and other wastes that may have been treated prior to disposal. To address this need, specialized aqueous waste containers are available from OHSE.

To assist labs with aqueous waste disposal, the following guidelines have been developed:

• Acidic Aqueous Waste: for solutions with pH between 5-7
• Basic Aqueous Waste: for solutions with pH between 7-11
• Note: concentrated solutions, both acidic and basic, should be retained in their original containers for disposal
• Neutral pH Aqueous Waste: for those neutral pH solutions contaminated with stains or trace amounts of organics, metals, etc.
   
  

By diverting laboratory wastes from the sewer system, UVic will continue to maintain compliance with local regulations and is demonstrating a best practices approach to environmental safety.