Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.64
Liaison Rachael Wein
Submission Date March 3, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Smith College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Margaret Rakas
Manager
Inventory and Regulatory Affairs
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have strategies in place to safely dispose of all hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste and seek to minimize the presence of these materials on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:

Training on resources available (the chemical inventory system; locations for universal waste collection), discussions with faculty along with providing literature on potential substitutions of less hazardous chemicals. By requiring waste handling and safety training of all students, techniques for proper transport and handling are discussed, reducing the potential for spills and ensuring all wastes are properly collected for disposal.

Clark Science Center/Ford Hall maintains a chemical inventory system in order to minimize chemical purchases.


A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:

Smith College follows Massachusetts Dept of Environmental Protection regulations and only contracts with TSDF vendors who are appropriately trained and resourced to handle our wastes. Training in safety and hazardous waste handling for faculty, staff and students is provided; the Chemical Hygiene Officer and the Health & Safety Coordinator also receive specific, recurrent training and perform outreach to all campus departments.


A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:

There have been no significant hazardous materials releases at Clark Science Center/Ford Hall in the last 3 years.


A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:

The Clark Science Center has employed the Vertere Chemical Inventory system since 2003; all faculty and any of their students nominated have free access. It is maintained by the Stockroom personnel and updated frequently as new chemicals arrive and disposal/full use records of current chemicals are received. Stockroom personnel can also access the system to help faculty and students who are unfamiliar with the system locate a chemical.


Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Yes

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
Yes

A brief description of the electronic waste recycling program(s), including information about how electronic waste generated by the institution and/or students is recycled:

College-owned obsolete computer equipment (including computers, monitors, printers, peripherals and media) is managed as standard ITS protocol when upgrading computers in offices. After erasing all data from the computer, usable computers are donated to local charities as part of the ITS Town-Gown program.

Items that cannot be donated to local charities are picked up from ITS by Physical Plant and shipped to a computer recycling vendor to be recycled for their scrap value. Computers are collected primarily via ITS, packaged in 1 cu-yrd gaylord shipping boxes, and sent to market via the Institutional Recycling Network.

Batteries are collected from various locations on campus (e.g. the student houses, public safety, a kiosk in the Campus Center, a bin in the gym, etc.) and brought back to EH&S. From there, the batteries are sorted by type, packaged and sent to recycled.

Bulbs are collected by the custodial staff via Northeast Lamp. Toner is recycled primarily via the computer store, though Smith offers other programs for other generators of these materials.


Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Yes

Electronic waste recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill or incinerator during the most recent year for which data is available during the previous three years:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.