Clinical, research and teaching labs replace equipment as testing methods change, and the older instruments are often large, heavy and full of regulated materials. We handle:
- Analyzers and test and monitoring instruments
- Instrument-control computers, lab workstations and servers
- UPS units and batteries of most chemistries
- Fluorescent lamps and ballasts
- Monitors, printers and general office electronics
Lab equipment can contain lead, mercury, chlorinated plastics and brominated flame retardants, so it cannot go in the trash. Before pickup, your team decontaminates each item and tells us about any chemical residue, biological material, radiation source, compressed gas or battery inside. Items that are still contaminated or that hold a radioactive source need a separate qualified path. We flag them while reviewing your list, before anything is scheduled.
Many instruments run on an attached computer that stores patient results or research data. We pull those drives, log them by serial number and either destroy them or wipe them for reuse. The certificate goes in your EHS or IT file.
Lab jobs follow our six steps: containers, staff training, pickup, tracking, processing and reporting. Batteries go to battery recycling, lamps to lamp and ballast recycling and electronics to e-waste recycling, all on one schedule. Send us your equipment list to start.
Labs retire analyzers, test and monitoring instruments, instrument-control computers, UPS units, batteries and fluorescent lamps, and much of it contains lead, mercury or flame-retardant plastics. Once your team has decontaminated the equipment and disclosed any hazards, we plan the pickup around heavy instruments, wipe or shred the drives that may hold patient or research data, and recycle the rest. Items with radioactive sources or unknown chemicals are flagged during the review so you can send them to a qualified specialist.
Simplify your compliance and disposal process with bundled recycling services that handle both electronic devices and batteries in one streamlined solution.
Our scheduled, route-based pickups cover all major regions of California—ensuring efficient, on-time service no matter where you operate.
We provide clearly labeled, tamper-resistant containers to ensure safe and compliant collection of electronic waste and batteries at your location.
Modern Waste Solutions has served businesses and communities across California with dependable, environmentally responsible recycling solutions for over two decades.
We adhere to all California and federal regulations, ensuring your electronic and battery waste is managed with complete transparency and environmental responsibility.
Reviews
A little bit off the beaten track in Natomas, but Modern Waste quickly and efficiently helped me recycle my broken Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries at a reasonable $/lb fee (Sac county e-waste will not accept these items). Ramiro and Vincent were very friendly and helpful.
Chris was awesome! He came in and picked up all of the e-waste we had ready for him. He was polite and professional throughout the entire process. He handled the equipment with care, including the site equipment that was already in place. I am very happy with his service and appreciate the great job he did.
Aaron and Vincent were awesome, excellent customer service!
Great guys, excellent customer service, highly recommend!
Polite, quick and easy.
Chris from modern waste was the most outstanding respectful person I ever met my life when he was done he offered to sweep the floors. He offered so much even though he was limited on time he went out of his way and he’s over beyond best guy I ever met thank you so much for your service services Dan ITG.
We have answers.
Lab jobs follow our six steps, with one extra checkpoint at the start: the lab confirms each item is decontaminated and discloses any hazards before we schedule.
- Equipment: we supply pallets, gaylord boxes or bins for instruments and accessories, plus separate containers for batteries and lamps.
- Training: lab and EHS staff learn which items we accept and which need a different vendor.
- Pick-up: our crew collects the approved items, with the heavy instruments and access route planned in advance.
- Tracking: instruments are logged by model and serial number when the lab needs asset records.
- Processing: drives in instrument computers are wiped or shredded, and the rest is dismantled and recycled.
- Reports: you receive certificates for recycling and data destruction.
Safety starts in the lab. Before pickup, your team decontaminates the instruments and tells us about any chemical residue, biological material, radiation source, compressed gas, mercury or battery inside. Equipment with a radioactive source, active contamination or unknown chemicals needs its own qualified disposal path, and we say so when we review your list.
The items we do accept are handled under our ISO 45001 safety system and processed under ISO 14001 environmental controls. Batteries and mercury-containing lamps go into their own universal waste streams, and circuit boards and metals are separated for recycling.
The scope depends on what the lab is retiring. A typical project can include:
| Service element | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Pre-assessment | Review equipment, access, contamination status, regulated components, and data media. |
| Pickup planning | Coordinate deinstallation, packaging, labor, and transport for approved items. |
| Secure handling | Track equipment and manage identified data-bearing components under the agreed method. |
| Recovery and recycling | Separate reusable equipment and recyclable materials from components requiring another approved path. |
| Documentation | Provide service records and certificates appropriate to the completed scope. |
Items that are still contaminated or that contain a radioactive source stay excluded until they are cleared or sent to a qualified vendor. The quote names any exclusions.
Lab equipment disposal is the retirement of analyzers, test and monitoring instruments, instrument-control computers and support equipment once the lab has cleared them for removal. Much of this equipment contains lead, mercury, flame-retardant plastics or batteries, so it cannot go in the trash.
Each job turns on three questions: is the item decontaminated, does it store data, and can it be reused or only recycled? The answers decide the containers, the crew, the destruction method and the records.
We have recycled electronics and batteries from our Sacramento facility since 1999, and lab equipment combines the two: instruments with embedded computers, backup batteries and sometimes mercury components. One vendor can take the instruments, batteries, lamps and data-bearing drives on the same pickup.
Technician perspective: Finish decontamination and hazard disclosure before scheduling pickup. An instrument that looks like ordinary electronics may hold a source, chemical residue, battery or pressurized part that changes the handling plan.
Our work runs under ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems, and you receive certificates for what was recycled and destroyed.
Retired instruments tend to collect in hallways and storage rooms because moving them takes planning. A recycling program deals with what comes with that backlog:
- Unknown residues, embedded batteries, mercury components, or other regulated materials entering a general e-waste stream.
- Data remaining on instrument controllers, workstations, or embedded storage.
- Large or specialized equipment occupying space because deinstallation and pickup were not planned together.
It also gives EHS and facilities teams a record of what left the lab and where it went.
Look for a partner that asks about hazards before it quotes. Useful questions:
- Does the vendor ask for decontamination status and hazard disclosure before pickup, and does it tell you which items it will not accept?
- Can it take the batteries, lamps and electronics from the same cleanout?
- How does it treat drives in instrument computers and workstations that may hold patient or research data?
- Can it show current ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certificates?
- What records will you receive, and will they match your asset list?
A lab cleanout goes faster when the equipment list answers the crew's questions before they arrive. Before you request a quote:
- Identify the equipment model, dimensions, weight, access route, and utility connections.
- Complete required decontamination and disclose chemicals, biological residues, radiation sources, gases, mercury, batteries, or other hazards.
- Locate embedded computers and storage media that require wiping or destruction.
- Confirm whether specialized rigging, packaging, or a separate regulated-waste vendor is required.
Send the list with photos, the room or dock location and your deadline. We flag anything that needs another vendor before scheduling.
- Clinical, medical and dental laboratories replacing analyzers and testing equipment.
- Research and development labs retiring instruments at the end of a project.
- Universities and teaching labs clearing out older equipment.
- EHS and facilities teams closing or consolidating a lab space.
Testing labs are often lumped in with general healthcare recycling, even though their equipment mix is different. We scope lab jobs on their own.