Class 1 waste is any material that, because of its concentration or physicochemical characteristics, is considered “toxic, corrosive, flammable, a strong sensitizer or irritant, a generator of sudden pressure by decomposition, heat or other means, or may pose a substantial present or potential danger to human health or the environment when improperly processed, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed,” as further defined in 30 TAC 335.505 [Texas Administrative Code].
Class 2 waste is any material that cannot be described as hazardous, as class 1, or as class 3.
Class 3 wastes are inert and essentially insoluble materials, usually including, but not limited to, “materials such as rock, brick, glass, dirt and certain plastics and rubber, etc., that are not readily decomposable.”
Table 2.4
Waste Recycle/Disposal Guidelines
| M | Recycle / Disposal | Class |
| Acids (undiluted) | Disposal | Haz |
| Acids (spent, except hydrofluoric acid) | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Barite, finished or crude | Recycle | – |
| Bentonite clays and test fluids | Recycle | – |
| Biocides | Disposal per MSDS | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Bleach | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Brines, high-density, new | Reclycle | – |
| Brines, high-density, used | Disposal | 2 |
| Brine/oil mixtures (emulsion testing, etc.) | Disposal | 1 |
| Broken glass | Disposal | 2 |
| Buffer solution | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | 2 |
| Calcium carbonate | Disposal | 2 |
| Calcium chloride (solid) | Disposal | 2 |
| Calcium chloride (solution) | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Chemical spill kits | Disposal per kit directions | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Cleaning service rags | Disposal | 2 |
| Freshwater test fluids | Recycle | – |
| Corrosion inhibitors | Corrosion inhibitors | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Culture waste (filter media, gravel, etc.) | Disposal | 2 |
| Cuttings, neat | Disposal | 2 |
| Cuttings, with oil | Disposal | 1 |
| Empty containers, hazardous | Disposal | 1 |
| Empty containers,nonhazardous | Disposal | 2 |
| Enzyme solutions | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Filter cake, disks, and paper w/chrome-free mud | Recycle | – |
| Field product samples | Disposal | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Filter cake, disks, and paper w/chrome-containing mud | Disposal | Haz |
| Freshwater test fluids | Recycle | – |
| Hydrofluoric acid (handle with extreme care) | Disposal | Haz |
| Hydrogen peroxide | Disposal | 2 |
| Hydroxy ethyl cellulose | Disposal | 2 |
| Lignosulfonate and lignite product test muds | Disposal | – |
| Mercury thermometers | Disposal | haz |
| Well-cleaning chemicals | Disposal per MSDS | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Mud additives | Disposal per MSDS | 1, 2, or Haz |
| Emulsifiers | ||
| Fluid loss control | ||
| Lignosulfonates | ||
| Lubricants | ||
| Shale inhibitors | ||
| Shale stabilizers | ||
| Surfactants | ||
| Wetting agents | ||
| Mud filtrates, oil-based/synthetic-based mud | Disposal | 1 |
| Mud filtrates, water-based mud | Recycle | – |
| Oil, with non-OBM constituents | Disposal | 1 |
| Oil, with OBM constituents required for OBM conditioning | Recycle | – |
| Oil, mixed with hazardous wastes | Disposal | 2 |
| Oil-based/synthetic-based mud and wash chemicals | Disposal | 1 |
| Organic peroxides | Disposal | 2 |
| Paper towels used to clean up brines and muds | Disposal | 2 |
| Persulfates | Disposal | Haz |
| pH Buffers | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| pH test solution residuals | Return to original container | – |
| Polymer slurries, mineral oil or other carrier | Disposal | 1 |
| Polymers, dry | Disposal | 2 |
| Potassium hydroxide (solid) | Disposal | Haz |
| Potassium hydroxide (solution) | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Retort cooked solids (chrome-containing mud) | Disposal | Haz |
| Retort cooked solids (chrome-free mud) | Disposal | 2 |
| Salt gel/attapulgite | Disposal | 2 |
| Silver nitrate solution | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Sodium carbonate (solid) | Disposal | Haz |
| Sodium carbonate (solution) | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Sodium hydroxide (solid) | Disposal | Haz |
| Sodium hydroxide (solution) | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Solvents, chlorinated | Disposal | Haz |
| Solvents, nonchlorinated | Disposal | Haz |
| Titration residue | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Titration solution residue | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| Wash water, laboratory equipment and general | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| WBM spent titrations | Dilute and dispose of down sink drain | – |
| WBM (Cl<20,000 ppm and oil <3%) | Recycle | – |
| WBM (Cl >20,000 ppm or oil>3%) | Disposal | 1 |
| WBM, chrome-free saltwater | Disposal | – |
| WBM, chrome-containing | Disposal | – |
| WBM, all others | Disposal | – |
OBM=oil-based mud; WBM=water-based mud; MSDS=Material Safety Data Sheet
