Figure out who's the best in the chemicals industry

As with cars and other products, you'll want to make sure you buy from reputable chemical companies that have knowledgeable customer service agents.

I recommend: Check in with Chemical and Engineering News for the annual ranking of the Top 50 chemical producers. If you can't get authorization to look at the more recent ranking, try an older one. Most of the top rated chemical companies don't change much from year to year.

Search a chemical company directory

Aside from the largest chemical producers, there are plenty of smaller chemical companies. You can find local chemical suppliers by searching online databases.

I recommend: Check the SRI consulting chemical marketplace database. In addition to finding a chemical supplier near you, you can contact them for information about chemical usage and disposal too. Dialog1 also provides a directory of chemical suppliers that is more easily searchable by product, region, or company. ThomasNet has directories for both laboratory chemicals and industrial chemical suppliers.

Set-up disposal options for chemicals

There's more to purchasing chemicals than finding a chemical supplier. You'll also want to figure out ahead of time what you'll do with the chemical waste.

I recommend: Check out this Work.com guide describing some of the governmental regulations having to do with waste disposal. Contact one of these national hazardous waste disposal companies for a quote: Veolia, AET Environmental, or Progressive Environmental Services.