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4 Steps to Choosing a Lab Pack Provider

Whether you generate enough chemicals for one lab pack per year or have multiple laboratories/locations in need of regular service, you must consider environmental compliance, safety and long-term liability protection. Selecting a service provider that provides all three gives you security, convenience and transparency.

Your first step is assessing the types, volume and frequency of chemicals generated for disposal. Consider a service provider that can audit your operations for potential risks and environmental compliance while assessing your chemical inventory and outlining your proper lab pack disposal needs.

Secondly, you need to consider who will be packing the lab chemicals. In many cases, there are a wide variety of chemicals to be disposed of, making the lab pack disposal categorization and segregation key to ensuring materials are safely packed to Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.

Who is transporting your chemicals is your third consideration. Only transportation companies permitted under the U.S. DOT hazardous materials regulations and the U.S. EPA's hazardous waste regulations can transport hazardous waste. It is your responsibility to confirm transporters are fully permitted. Be aware some service providers outsource transportation to a third party. Using a third party can add an additional layer of risk when considering lab pack disposal.

Lastly, many lab pack providers also outsource the final disposal. Under the RCRA, you are responsible for your hazardous waste from "cradle to grave.” It's critical that you know the details of the lab pack disposal methodology and who’s doing it.

Clean Harbors lab pack professionals are highly trained and experienced _ they arrive on site fully equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, packing supplies and containers. Utilizing proprietary chemical packing software, Clean Harbors' lab pack chemists can assess and properly pack even unknown chemicals.

Clean Harbors always uses its own in-house transportation. Their chemists are U.S. DOT-certified drivers and, in most cases, chemicals are removed the same day as the packing.

Lastly, owning the largest number of waste disposal facilities in North America, Clean Harbors manages the vast majority of waste chemicals in-house -- helping to reduce your potential for risk and long-term liability. All Clean Harbors facilities are fully permitted and backed with the Company's financial stability. Combined with the fact the Company packs and transports the waste using its own people and trucks, Clean Harbors can reduce your liability by providing a one-stop shop.

Protect your business by safeguarding against unreliable waste service providers. The lowest price is not always the best choice. If you use a service provider that does not manage your waste properly, you are liable for the consequences, which often requires high cost contamination cleaning.

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