Amy -

Since those of us in conservation deal with hazardous materials issues
regualrly I wanted to let you know that your idea about contacting the local
chemistry dept. at a nearby univeristy is an excellent idea. Most chemistry
departments contract with hazardous waste disposal companies to do regularly scheduled
pick-ups.

Since you own the hazardous materials you are legally repsonsible for them.

Flushing them down the toilet is illegal.

You don't need a permit for waste disposal - the various companies who
specialize in that business do - as you would be considered a "minor generator" of
waste, as compared to a nearby industry.

The probelm with old wastes is that they must be analyzed and identified
before disposal. That can be expensive. Your best bet is to gain the interest of a
chemist and to get them to look over the bottles and their contents and to
give you an idea of what is trully hazardous and what is not.

If the bottles are not leaking and the corks are still in place you do not
have an immediate problem. You can take your time to research this to arrive at
the best solution.

Best of Luck!

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Artifacts
2930 South Birch Street
Denver, CO  80222
303-300-5257
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