For disposal purposes, contaminated laboratory biomedical waste has been divided into two categories based on the risk posed by the waste. These categories have been designated low risk and moderate to high-risk.

Low risk biomedical waste has been contaminated with Biosafety Level 1 biological material not known to cause diseases in healthy humans, animals or plants. This category includes Biosafety Level 1 materials such as E.coli K12, cultures of most non-human, mammalian and non-mammalian tissue and other BL1 derived materials. In addition, human and non-human primate blood, body fluids, cells, cell lines and tissue cultures, which are Biosafety Level 2, are included in this low-risk waste category.

Moderate to high-risk waste has been contaminated with human, animal, or plant pathogens, non-exempt recombinant DNA, select agents or biological toxins. Examples include BL2 or BL3 human or animal pathogens, BL2 or BL3 non-exempt recombinant DNA experiments, and agents requiring registration with the Connecticut State Department of Public Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If you have any questions about how your waste should be classified, contact your safety adviser or the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. Remember, if you generate moderate to high-risk waste in your lab, it must be autoclaved or chemically treated before disposing it through EHS.