This week, we’re focusing on chemical waste, safer inventory practices and maximum allowable quantities, or MAQs.
The goal is simple: reduce risk in labs and shared research spaces by removing unneeded chemicals, keeping inventories accurate and using campus tools to support safer storage and disposal. This work also supports a broader campus safety effort, including a UCOP-required MAQ management plan that will be submitted in January 2027.
MAQ and Chemical Waste Guidance Presentation
Fire Prevention and EH&S will offer a presentation on MAQs and chemical waste, with practical guidance for labs and shared research spaces.
Over the last two years, UC Davis has been assessing inventories and verifying conditions through UC Chemicals to better understand where buildings or floors may be over allowable limits. That work has confirmed challenges in some areas and is helping campus partners identify practical, long-term solutions.
- Tuesday, May 12
2:30 – 3 p.m.
Topics include:
- What MAQs are and why they matter
- Common issues found
- Strategies labs are using to reduce risk
- How waste disposal and inventory management support safer buildings
- Next steps and timelines
Speakers include Pat Ruchirushkul, Karen Gagnon, Timothy Annis and Audrey Sulkanen.
Reduce Risk in Shared Research Spaces
Chemical safety is not just about one lab. In shared buildings, storage decisions can affect neighboring labs, building compliance and overall risk.
This week’s message is simple: Buy what you need, keep what you need and be a good neighbor.
Unlike at some universities, UC Davis offers hazardous waste disposal and pickup at no cost to campus generators, making it easier to remove unneeded chemicals and avoid storing excess materials indefinitely. WASTe is the campus system for compliant hazardous labeling, tracking and pickup requests.
Waste and MAQ reminders
- Buy only what you need
- Remove chemicals you no longer need
- Keep inventories accurate in UC Chemicals
- Use campus waste disposal tools
- Transfer usable chemicals when appropriate
- Reduce what you have and relocate what you can
- Work with building and lab partners on shared solutions
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but small, practical steps can make a meaningful difference.
Tools to Help You Take Action
UC Chemicals
Use UC Chemicals to manage your lab’s chemical inventory and support annual certification and validation. Those using hazardous chemicals must certify and validate inventory annually by Jan. 15. Keeping inventory current is one of the most important steps in understanding storage conditions and identifying where action may be needed.
WASTe
Use WASTe to create compliant hazardous waste labels, track waste and request pickup. It is the sole mechanism for creating hazardous waste labels and requesting waste pickup. Tags can be created in less than one minute!
ChemTag
Use ChemTag to speed up inventory reconciliation and make chemical inventories easier to maintain. ChemTag combines RFID technology with RSS Chemicals to reduce reconciliation time from days to hours. ChemTags, training and temporary scanner loans are available to campus users at no cost.