Radioactive Material Disposal

Materials that will be picked up

The types of materials that can regularly picked up from a lab are listed as container types in EHSA: Solid radioactive waste must be placed in a yellow bag and then sealed in a cardboard box, liquid aqueous or organic waste put into separate Carboys, LSC Vials stored in cardboard trays or in bags, radioactive animal carcasses, lead storage pigs in a box, stock vials, sharps containers, and sealed sources.

Please send an email to radiationsafety@wisc.edu if you have any of these items that you would like us to pick up

  • broken or unwanted survey meters
  • unwanted lead (pigs, bricks, etc.)
  • unwanted beta shielding
  • sealed sources (request pickup for radioactive materials through EHSA)

Larger equipment like Liquid Scintillation Counters and Gamma Counters will be need to be cleared through Business Services’ Capital Equipment. Contact your department head or building manager for assistance with this process. Once cleared for removal, Radiation Safety will take the device for dismantling and disposal.

Looking for a radioactive waste pickup?

The waste pickup process occurs in two parts. The first part is inventory of the material, and the second is the actual waste request. If you have been keeping track of your inventory online by creating containers and distributing material from the vials to those containers, you have completed step one in the process. If not, you will have to do the inventory step before you begin the waste request step.

If you have questions about unwanted material that you think should not go into the normal trash, please see the Guidelines for Unwanted Material Disposal on our Recyclopedia page.

Research Equipment Containing Internal Sources

Research equipment may contain an internal radioactive source. A label from the manufacturer will indicate its presence. It is usually located on back of machine.

Equipment labeled “Caution Radioactive Materials” must never be moved or relocated from a lab space without approval from the Office of Radiation Safety.
See attached poster for guidance