Before discarding any collection material, staff should consult with the appropriate curator, as well as the deed of gift or purchase agreement for the collection, to determine the means by which the material can be discarded.
If material is weeded from a collection and is not returned to the donor or seller, (other than books, which are often traded) it must be shredded, or, if this is not possible due to format or environmental concerns, disposed of in a way that ensures that it is not identifiable as Yale property or the property of the former custodian.
Names or ownership markings must be removed or effaced before disposal.
Objects must be disposed of in the trash, and may not be adopted by staff members.
Potentially dangerous items (such as nitrate photographic negatives) must be disposed of in an appropriate manner. Please refer to the policy and procedure for nitrate film removal.