The correct method used for decontaminating agarose gels with ethidium bromide (EtBr) depends on the amount of EtBr in the gel.

Agarose gels containing trace amounts of less than 0.1% ethidium bromide can be wrapped in a plastic bag and discarded in the trash.

 Gels containing more than 0.1% must be collected in a double-bagged sealed container and placed in an appropriately labeled bin before requesting a toxic waste removal.