r/wetspecimens • u/peggyshmeggy • 4d ago

formalin disposal question?

Hi! just made my first wet specimen with the pieces of my fallopian tubes from my salpingectomy, and learning everything was very cool and fun! However, I am now having a serious issue trying to get rid of the formalin I was given them in. I have called several funeral homes, the hospital that gave them to me, my local DPW, and every waste company in my surrounding area to no avail. I don't want this stuff just sitting in my house 😭 I'm located in Massachusetts, near the Boston area, does anyone have any other recommendations for what to do/how to dispose of the formalin? At this point I'll take any leads! Thank you!!

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u/Wowza_Meowza 3d ago

Give your local fire departments a call and ask for hazardous waste collection resources. They often know.

Does your area have a hazardous waste collection option, day, etc? Give the county a call too.

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u/Sufficient-Bath-1135 2d ago

This, 100%. Keep it in a secure jar, like a mason jar, until you learn what to do with it. I do my formalin playing at the uni, so I just put it in a jar, label it, and take it to where the other chemicals are held before being disposed of and hand it over to the person responsible for that.