Special Waste Disposal Requests

UK’s Industrial User Permit, local ordinances, along with state and federal environmental regulations prohibit certain materials from being disposed into the sanitary sewer system. Based on these prohibitions, at no time may any hazardous waste be disposed in the University’s sanitary sewer system. Unless specifically approved, all chemical products, paints, dyes, lawn care products, maintenance products, and oil are prohibited from drain disposal.

However, some non-hazardous substances are acceptable for drain disposal and include:

• Floor stripper and wax that has been used and was prepared in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions.
• Wash water from the cleaning of latex paint equipment, but not the unused paint.
• Buffers and non-hazardous liquid media that has no other underlying hazardous constituent such as heavy metals, flammable, or chlorinated solvents.
• Certain disinfectants (check with the Environmental Quality Management Department for the specific disinfectant used).
• Solutions having a pH of between 5.5 and 11.5 that also do not have any other hazardous constituents and that were generated as part of the operating process.

To seek approval to drain-dispose of special non-hazardous substances via the sanitary sewer that are not included on the above list, complete the Request for Permission to Dispose of a Special Non-Hazardous Substance form and email it to environmentalquality@uky.edu.

Substances deemed inappropriate for drain disposal can either be managed through the UK’s Recycling office or through the Environmental Quality Management Department’s Waste Management Program.

At no time should anything be disposed into the drains located outside buildings. These are storm drains that discharge directly to nearby creaks and streams. To discharge material in these drains is a violation of State law and the UK’s Stormwater Permit.

To seek approval to dispose any special non-hazardous non-liquid substance via the regular trash, complete the Request for Permission to Dispose of a Special Non-Hazardous Substance form and email it to environmentalquality@uky.edu.