Designing Waste Management Into New Construction

Designing Waste Management Into New Construction

In early 2014, Mayo Clinic Rochester was planning to expand a clinical laboratory building located several miles away from the Clinic’s main campus.  Two of the labs moving to the new facility were also labs that generated significant amounts of waste flammable solvents and were relocating from an area where the building’s infrastructure made collection of the waste solvents simple and safe to a location where the waste solvent handling would be manual.  “What would the extra cost be to handle the waste solvents at the new location?” was the question posed to Hazardous and Radioactive Waste (HRW) Management.  After some calculations based on anticipated generation rates, handling of 5-gal safety containers, as well as current shipping and disposal costs, the estimated cost was significant and required additional staffing.  Questions also arose regarding the safe handling and storage of the large quantity of flammable waste containers.

Was there a better way?

Armed with this cost estimate, HRW responded and asked about designing in a waste collection system similar to the one the laboratories were using in their location on the main campus.  The idea was accepted and design of the system as an integral part of the new construction began.  Genesis of the system, design, construction, safety considerations, and now the system operation are followed in the presentation.  This was the first time Mayo Clinic incorporated waste management into new construction.  The lessons learned were many and will be applied to future construction projects.