| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.66 |
| Liaison | Grace Afflerbach |
| Submission Date | March 8, 2024 |
Purchase College - State University of New York
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Grace
Afflerbach Sustainability Coordinator Facilities |
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?:
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Employees are expected to limit the use of hazardous, special, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste. Only specialized departments have the capability to order these types of materials on campus.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Hazardous waste is collected at points of use (Visual Arts, Natural Science, Performing Arts Center) and inventories are maintained by the staff members. The Environmental Health and Safety Officer periodically polls each area to determine if the stored amounts warrant a pickup. When a pickup is needed, the inventories are sent to approved waste haulers for bids and subsequent, pickup and documented disposal.
Universal waste is gathered at a holding area in our Facilities building where items are gathered, packed, labeled, and shipped Universal Waste. When a pickup is needed, the inventories are sent to approved waste haulers for bids and subsequent, pickup and documented disposal.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
A release occurred on 11/29/2022 during delivery of an electrical transformer. A sling used to lift the transformer failed causing it to fall. A spill of non-hazardous transformer fluid resulted. The fluid collected below the delivery trailer. Purchase College UPD, the local fire department and the county Hazardous Materials Response Team were dispatched. The spill was reported to NYS DEC as required. A plan for remediating the spill was developed. ConEd took the lead in securing a spill response and supervising the cleanup. Cleanup was completed on the second day of the incident. Approximately 400 gallons were
released.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
Each laboratory is managed by relevant staff/faculty where chemical inventories are maintained. Chemicals stored and used are lab specific, not lending to reuse or redistribution.
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
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:
Students and employees must submit a work order to Campus Technology Services (CTS) for broken electronic equipment collection. If the electronics cannot be repaired, CTS wipes the hard drive. For items such as batteries, charging cables, etc., there is a recycling bin in the library that is monitored by custodial staff. The sustainability office has bins for ink and toner cartridge recycling. Once enough e-waste is accumulated, an e-waste hauler is contacted and the waste is picked up for recycling.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.