A science class does not end with the experiments. Students also need to know the appropriate procedures for the cleaning or disposal of used equipment. Safety issues concerning disposal may also arise, especially of bacterial or fungal cultures. The culture itself must be disposed of safely and the dishes sterilized for reuse, so they do not contaminate future experiments. The exact procedure depends on what organisms you cultured, what type of petri dish was used and what equipment you have available. Basically, you need to safely dispose of the substrate and sterilize the dishes.
- Surgical gloves
- Household bleach
- Bucket
- Plastic bags
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Instructions
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1
Put on surgical gloves before tidying the dishes.
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2
Place the petri dishes into a bucket and add a mixture of one part household bleach to four parts water. Leave the arrangement overnight. This is a basic decontamination procedure.
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3
Place the dishes into a plastic bag, if they were disposable; tie the bag and dispose of it in general trash.
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4
Rinse and scrub the dishes under running water and stack to dry for reuse, if they were glass.
