| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.07 |
| Liaison | Janna Cohen-Rosenthal |
| Submission Date | July 3, 2023 |
University of Massachusetts Boston
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 1.00 |
Dennis
Swinford Director of Campus Planning & Sustainability Office of Campus Planning and Sustainability |
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:
To reduce the amount of hazardous waste purchased and generated, UMass Boston recycles hazardous and universal waste. Material that may be re-used or redistributed is determined by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS). Once material is removed from the laboratory, OEHS will evaluate these materials for re-use opportunities on campus. A list of these chemicals will be maintained and published by OEHS. Principle investigators (PI's) or laboratory workers may request re-usable chemicals on the list. Chemicals in the inventory for more than 2 years will be disposed of.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
OEHS staff arrange pickups of laboratory waste from laboratories. Licensed hazardous waste contractors pack all University chemical waste into "lab packs". Lab packs are drums (5-55 gallons) which are packed with chemicals from the same hazard class. The drums are filled with different size bottles and packing materials. Once full, they are sealed and labeled according to Department of Transportation regulations and shipped to an appropriate treatment, storage, and disposal facility. Most waste that the University generates is incinerated at an EPA-approved facility. A small amount of waste material is recycled.
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 material release incidents in past 3 years
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
OEHS maintains laboratory chemical inventories electronically. PI's and lab directors have access to the online database. OEHS barcodes all incoming chemicals before delivering them to laboratories. Labs track the barcode number of the empty container of chemicals given to OEHS for disposal on a barcode tracking sheet posted near a waste accumulation area.
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:
UMB has frequent office clean-ups to gather electronic waste. All electronic waste generated by the institution is collected by a 3rd party vendor.
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.