In general, don't! Broken Chemistry glassware , in addition to having sharp and jagged edges which can seriously injure you, also have the added element of danger in that there is most likely chemical residue on the glass itself. Cutting yourself on a piece of broken glass with chemical residue on it could seriously mess things up, especially in an organic chemistry lab.

So if you have broken a piece of laboratory glass holding any chemicals -- a reaction, or simply a reagent waiting to be used -- alert your TA. Your TA will advise you in the proper method of cleaning up a chemical spill.

If you break a piece of glassware and chemicals are not involved, obtain a small dustpan and broom (there are a few sets in each teaching lab) and sweep up the pieces. Discard them in the 5-gallon white plastic bucket marked "BROKEN GLASS" in the lab. Do not handle broken glass by hand, if it can be avoided. Also, only place CLEAN broken glass in the "BROKEN GLASS" bucket. Broken glassware with chemical residue should either be cleaned (if there is a way to do so safely), or placed into the "LAB TRASH" bucket.

If you break a mercury thermometer, alert your TA and then come to the OCS window to request a mercury clean-up kit. Please do not throw the broken thermometers away in the general, lab, or glass trash! Place the thermometer in the mercury clean-up kit and return to the OCS. Broken thermometers result in mercury spills, which are toxic! Either your TA or OCS personnel will explain how to use the clean-up kit to clean up any spilled mercury from the thermometer. To safeguard against thermometer breakage and mercury spills, handle thermometers very carefully, do not use them as stirring rods, and always store them in their protective plastic casing.