Lesson 3.5 · 5 min

Waste and amalgam waste

Open in the coursewith narrated slides, a checklist to tick off and a quiz

At a glance

Close to where it arises. Waste is collected as close as possible to where it arises, to keep the contamination risk small.
Straight into the container. Needles, blades and ampoule remains go at once, at the workplace, into puncture-proof, sealed, closable containers. Full containers are closed and never opened again.
AWG, records, EDM. Hazardous waste falls under the Waste Management Act and the waste records regulation, with consignment notes and registration in EDM.
SN 35326 gn. Separator cartridges, strainer residues, empty capsules and amalgam remains fall under this code and go to a licensed waste company.
Seven years. Waste records and consignment notes are kept for at least seven years.

In detail

Collecting and disposing

Waste is collected as close as possible to where it arises § 19(1) HygV.
Cannulas and other sharp or pointed objects, such as needles, ampoule remains, lancets and scalpel blades, go straight after use, at the workplace, into puncture- and break-proof, liquid-tight, firmly closable, opaque containers. Full containers are closed tight and never opened again § 19(2) HygV.
Waste containers are stored so that others aren't put at risk and they can't be misused. Bins aren't emptied into other bins, and waste isn't pressed down by hand. The local council's disposal rules apply § 19(3) HygV.

Waste law

The Waste Management Act 2002 (AWG 2002) and the Waste Records Regulation 2012 apply, in particular the consignment notes for hazardous waste and registration in the EDM portal, as does ÖNORM S 2104 on waste from medical settings § 19(4) HygV. The consignment notes are also part of the hygiene records § 5(2)(c) HygV.

What goes where

Annex 1 sorts a dental practice's waste into three groups. The codes come from the waste list of the Waste List Regulation 2020 (Abfallverzeichnisverordnung 2020) (ÖZÄK-HygV 2025, Annex 1):

Group	Examples	Code
no danger, inside or outside a medical setting	general waste, bulky waste, disinfected waste	SN 91101, 91401, 97102
a danger only in a medical setting; not disposed of as hazardous waste	no injury risk: swabs, gloves, syringes without needles, cotton rolls, even when bloody	SN 97104
	injury risk: needles, scalpel blades, ampoule and cartridge remains, root canal instruments	SN 97105
a danger outside a medical setting too; disposed of through a licensed waste company	amalgam: separator cartridges, strainer remains, empty mixing capsules, amalgam remains	SN 35326 gn
	disinfectants; fixer and developer baths	SN 53507 g; SN 52707 g, 52723 g
	cytotoxic medicines and medicines containing heavy metals	SN 53510 g; SN 53501

Waste with an injury risk goes to authorised collectors or processors or to a hazardous-substance collection point; for waste that poses a danger, disposal records must be kept. Disinfectants and fixer and developer baths may only go into waste water as the regional water rules allow. Waste records and consignment notes for hazardous waste must be kept for at least seven years under § 17 AWG 2002 and § 12 of the Waste Records Regulation (Annex 1).

Amalgam separators

Where amalgam is used or removed, the practice needs a separator with at least 95% retention, maintained as the manufacturer says, and amalgam waste may only go to an authorised waste company (Art. 10 Regulation (EU) 2017/852; lesson 6.1).

Checklist

There are sharps containers at every workplace.
Full containers are closed and never reopened.
We are registered in EDM and get consignment notes for hazardous waste.
Amalgam waste goes as SN 35326 gn to a licensed waste company.
We keep waste records and consignment notes for seven years.

Quiz

Under which waste code do amalgam separator cartridges fall, according to Annex 1?

SN 53507 g
SN 35326 gn
Household waste
SN 52707 g

Show the answer

The answer is B: SN 35326 gn. Mercury and mercury-containing residues, including amalgam separator cartridges, strainer remains, empty mixing capsules and amalgam remains, fall under SN 35326 gn (ÖZÄK-HygV 2025, Annex 1).

Sources

This lesson's statements rest on:

Not legal advice. What counts is the acts and regulations in the Federal Legal Information System and the Austrian Dental Chamber's regulations (read on 7 October 2026). The health minister's regulation with the criteria from 2028 (§ 9b(2) GQG) had not been issued on that day. Not covered are insurer contracts, billing, data protection in detail and the employer's duties under the Worker Protection Act in detail; there is a separate course on those at aschg.globalapps.top. Not an offer of the Austrian Dental Chamber, a regional dental chamber, the BIQG or the Chamber of Commerce.