treatment plants are all commonly incinerated , and mercury will volatilize at high temperatures . Emissions from incinerators are known to contain mercury . Accordingly , if amalgam wastes are segregated from wastes to be incinerated , mercury emissions can be reduced .
Amalgam Waste
Typically , dental offices generate two types of amalgam waste : “ non-contact amalgam waste ” and “ contact amalgam waste .” Non-contact amalgam waste consists of leftover , excess mix that is not used . Contact amalgam waste consists of amalgam that has been in contact with a patient . Examples include extracted teeth with amalgam fillings , or amalgam captured by chairside traps , filters , or screens .
Particularly , because of the concern about free mercury ’ s toxicity , recycling amalgam is strongly recommended . Because of the mercury content , recycling should be handled by an EPA-licensed facility . Contact the facility for packaging and shipping requirements . Some recyclers may provide shipping containers to transport the amalgam . Most recycling facilities prefer non-contact amalgam waste to be kept separate from contact amalgam waste . For this and other reasons , care should be taken to segregate non-contact and contact amalgam wastes , and accurately label containers accordingly . Some recycling facilities may require amalgam to be dry prior to shipping .
If you choose to dispose of amalgam waste instead of recycling , which is not recommended , a representative sample of the waste will need to be tested to determine if it constitutes hazardous waste . If it is determined to be hazardous waste , a hazardous waste disposal service should be contacted to arrange proper disposal .
Amalgam Capsules The recommended handling of amalgam capsules is as follows :
• Store amalgam capsules in the manufacturer ’ s container until ready to use
• Excess amalgam remaining from a procedure should be collected immediately and stored in a sealed container . The container should be labeled “ non-contact amalgam waste ” and handled as amalgam waste
• Return unused or expired amalgam capsules to the manufacturer or triturate and handle as noncontact amalgam waste
• Recycle empty amalgam capsules with non-contact amalgam waste
Amalgam Chairside Traps PDA recommends handling amalgam waste captured in amalgam traps as follows :
Chairside traps dedicated strictly to hygiene may be placed in the trash for disposal as municipal waste . Chairside traps not dedicated strictly to hygiene , however , contain amalgam waste and should be handled accordingly . If part or all of the amalgam waste has been in contact with patients , handle all of the trapped amalgam waste as contact amalgam waste .
Disposable Traps – Some recyclers will accept whole disposable traps . In this case , remove the trap and place it in your contact amalgam recycling container . If your recycler does not accept whole traps , follow the directions for handling amalgam from reusable chairside traps , below . Once amalgam waste has been removed from the traps , the traps themselves may be handled as municipal waste . However , PDA recommends recycling disposable chairside traps with contact amalgam whenever possible .
PDA Waste Management Guidelines 12