School chemical clearance

• the marked-up stock list, with a copy for the chemist
• your list of concerns and unidentified items, with locations
• keys, and a named person holding them for the whole visit
• the site's contractor sign-in and safeguarding procedure
• vehicle access details, including gate times and height limits
• the school's legal name and address, as it should appear on the note

A clearance suits a store that has built up over years, where most of the stock is known and a good part of it is no longer needed. It generally covers:

• solid chemicals in original containers, opened or unopened
• bench solutions, indicators and stains that have outlived their courses
• organic reagents kept for practicals that are no longer taught
• old biology and food test reagents
• concentrated acids, ammonia and alkalis you no longer want to hold
• mercury thermometers and similar sealed items

Some things do not go on a clearance list. Controlled drugs, radioactive sources, explosives, gas cylinders and asbestos each go to a manual enquiry. So does any chemical showing signs of instability.

Work shelf by shelf, in the order the store is laid out. It makes the list easier to check on the day and means the chemist can walk straight to a bottle you have flagged. For each container, you need its name, the rough quantity remaining and the size of the container. Note any concentration on solutions. If your school already keeps a stock list, print it, mark the disposal items and add what you find that is missing from it.

Be strict about what you still want. A useful test is whether the chemical appears in a practical you expect to run within the next two years. Ask the teachers once, give them a date, and then close the question. Otherwise the list keeps changing until the morning of the visit.

Separate three kinds of entry as you go: known stock to clear, known stock with a concern, and anything you cannot identify. A bottle labelled in faded pencil is the third kind, even if you have a good idea what it is. A guess written as fact on a list can follow that bottle all the way through to a consignment note.

Preparation for a clearance is a matter of looking, not handling. Do not open bottles to check what is inside, sniff them or try to read a label by wiping it with solvent. Do not consolidate half-empty containers, because that creates a mixture nobody can describe. And please do not try to treat, neutralise or dilute anything to make it easier to send.

Some containers should stay exactly where they are, and you should tell us about them before anything else happens. Examples include picric acid or 2,4-DNPH that may have dried out, ether or other solvents with crystals around the cap, and alkali metals whose oil has gone or whose surface has crusted. The same goes for a bottle with a bulging lid, a badly corroded closure or a screw cap that has seized. Write down the shelf and the bottle's description, take a photograph from where you stand if you can do so without disturbing it, and keep the store locked. These items usually need a chemical store assessment first.

If you see an immediate danger, such as a leak or fumes, or a container you believe could ignite or explode, get people out and follow our emergency guidance.

The visit usually begins with a walk through the store with your technician. The specialist compares the shelves with the list, looks at the flagged items and agrees a packing area. A clear bench, or some floor space near the store, is ideal. Keep a route to the door free, and let your site team know a vehicle is coming.

Packing is the slow part. Each bottle is normally checked, its closure looked at and its class confirmed, then it goes into a lab pack with compatible stock and absorbent material. Weights are recorded as the packs are built. A bottle that is not what the list says will be raised with you on the spot. Expect a few changes between list and final count, because a long list is never quite right.

Then comes the paperwork. The carrier and chemist will need Parts A and B of the consignment note completed and accurate. We prepare these in advance, and the final quantities are confirmed on the day. Part C is the carrier's, and Part D is signed by the consignor who is handing over the waste, normally a member of staff. Read it before you sign, and keep your copy.

You should end the visit with an updated picture of the store, along with your copy of the note. In England, the consignee return follows after the receiving site has dealt with the waste, on a quarterly cycle. If it has not reached you by the following quarter, ask for it in writing, as GOV.UK advises.

Now is the time to update your stock list, since a store is never as easy to count as it is on the day after a clearance. The DfE guidance for schools expects an up-to-date inventory, and the fire service will want to see one if it ever attends. Also review your COSHH assessments, because removing a group of chemicals can make some of them out of date.

Think about what you might do differently when ordering, too. Most prep rooms contain stock bought in a pack size far larger than a school could ever use. Smaller pack sizes cost more per gram, but they cost less to dispose of.

School holidays and inset days work best for most departments, because there is no risk of pupils in the corridors and the technician can focus on one job. A visit during term is possible, but it needs a store with direct access or a route that avoids changeovers. Allow time for the school's own processes. A purchase order or a contractor sign-in procedure can take longer than the visit itself. You are also entitled to check the carrier's registration, and we would encourage you to do it.

A minimum order value applies to collections. A very small list may be better held until your next stock check, provided it is stable and known. The annual stock check collection suits a store that has been cleared once and needs keeping on top of.