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Chemical collection and stock control for UK schools, universities and hospitals

Methanol (CAS 67-56-1): storage and disposal

Methanol sits in school prep rooms, college stores, university labs and histology and pathology benches, nearly always as the neat liquid. It is highly flammable, toxic if swallowed, in contact with skin or if inhaled, and it causes damage to organs. As a colourless liquid that looks like water or ethanol, it is easy to misidentify, so labels and records come before everything else.

CAS number
67-56-1
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable
  • Acute toxicity pictogramAcute toxicity
  • Serious health hazard pictogramSerious health hazard

What to do this week

  1. Check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
  2. Check it is stored as flammable stock and apart from the items listed under "Do not store with".
  3. If you no longer need it, add it to your disposal list so it goes on the next collection.

Safe storage in a school or lab

The ventilated fire-resistant cabinet is where a school prep room keeps methanol, never an open bench shelf, with spill containment beneath and a stock record kept because it is toxic by all routes. It stays apart from calcium hypochlorite, chloramine T, nitric acid, perchloric acid, sodium dichloroisocyanurate and sodium hypochlorite, since hypochlorites react with solvents and release heat and chlorinated products. It burns with an almost invisible flame in daylight, so a store fire can be harder to see than most. Keep ethanol and methanol on different shelves with large labels, as the liquids look the same.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Little of its age shows in this clear liquid, so the container tells the story. A falling level shows evaporation, a bulging or sucked in bottle shows a failing seal, and a stained label or sticky neck shows leakage. The sign that matters most is identity. Decanted bottles, relabelled jars and old histology bottles with faded or overwritten labels are where methanol gets mistaken for ethanol or water. Anything colourless and unlabelled in a staining or fixing area is recorded as unknown and left closed, never sniffed or tasted to find out.

How it must be disposed of

By specialist collection only. It never goes down the drain or into general waste. It is normally packed in a flammable laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Before asking for a collection, write down the label wording exactly, the container size, the amount left and whether the seal is intact. It is toxic by all routes with a risk of blindness, so an unlabelled colourless bottle is never guessed at: say it is unknown. Methanol goes by specialist collection in a lab pack as UN 1230 under 16 05 06*, or 16 05 08* where it is a discarded organic chemical outside one, and 18 01 06* in a hospital or pathology setting. It is not poured away, not left to evaporate in a fume cupboard and not treated on site.

Waste codes and transport details for Methanol
EWC code, laboratory chemicals16 05 06*
Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 08*
Human healthcare setting18 01 06*
Hazardous wasteYes

20 01 13* (solvents) belongs to municipal collections and is shown for reference only. It is not the normal code for a laboratory collection.

The code depends on where the waste came from and what it is mixed with. Use the waste code finder to see why.

Do not store with

  • OxidiserOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • AcidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • CorrosiveA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Named chemicals to keep apart

  • Acetic acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Calcium hypochloriteHypochlorites react with these solvents, releasing heat and chlorinated products.
  • Chloramine THypochlorites react with these solvents, releasing heat and chlorinated products.
  • Hydrochloric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Hydrogen peroxideOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Nitric acidNitric acid reacts violently with organic solvents and can ignite them or build pressure in waste bottles.
  • Perchloric acidPerchloric acid forms explosive mixtures with organic material.
  • Potassium nitrateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
Show 6 more
  • Potassium permanganateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Sodium dichloroisocyanurateHypochlorites react with these solvents, releasing heat and chlorinated products.
  • Sodium hypochloriteHypochlorites react with these solvents, releasing heat and chlorinated products.
  • Sulfuric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Thionyl chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.
  • Zinc chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Common quantities we collect

Usually held as: neat.

Part-used bottles and full containers are both fine. Tell us the size and how many, and an estimate is enough for a first price.

Where it is commonly held

Hazard statements

  • H225 Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
  • H301 Toxic if swallowed.
  • H311 Toxic in contact with skin.
  • H331 Toxic if inhaled.
  • H370 Causes damage to organs.
Precautionary statements
  • P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
  • P233 Keep container tightly closed.
  • P240 Ground and bond container and receiving equipment.
  • P241 Use explosion-proof electrical, ventilating and lighting equipment.
  • P242 Use non-sparking tools.
  • P243 Take action to prevent static discharges.
  • P260 Do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P261 Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P262 Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.
  • P264 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling.
  • P270 Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
  • P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P301+P316 IF SWALLOWED: Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water.
  • P303+P361+P353 IF ON SKIN (or hair): Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water or shower.
  • P304+P340 IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
  • P308+P316 IF exposed or concerned: Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P316 Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P330 Rinse mouth.
  • P361+P364 Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403+P233 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep container tightly closed.
  • P403+P235 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep cool.
  • P405 Store locked up.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Why is methanol not stored with ethanol when both are alcohols?

They look identical but carry different hazards. Ethanol is a flammable irritant, while methanol is toxic by all routes with a risk of blindness. Separate shelves and clear labels reduce the chance of one being used for the other.

We found an unlabelled colourless bottle in the histology store. Can we assume it is methanol?

No. Clear solvents cannot be told apart by sight, and guessing risks mislabelling a toxic liquid. Record it as unknown, keep it closed in the cabinet, and tell the collection team so it can be assessed.

Does it matter if the level in a bottle has dropped?

Yes. Methanol evaporates through a poor seal, and the vapour is harmful if inhaled and highly flammable. A lower level than the record shows should trigger a check of the cap, ventilation in the cabinet and the stock record.

Guidance only. Check your own risk assessment and your supplier's safety data sheet.

Hazard data source: PubChem GHS Classification, retrieved 31 Oct 2026. Formula CH4O. EC number 200-659-6.

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