University of Missouri
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) coordinates the campus hazardous waste management program.
EHS provides training on materials management to users of hazardous materials, which includes instruction on waste segregation and minimization. Users are encouraged to seek non-hazardous substitutes over their hazardous counterparts whenever possible.

Any unused, but still usable, materials are brought into the EHS Chemical Redistribution Program, where they are kept available for any further University use, and thus are not disposed of as waste.

EHS operates a Mercury Reduction Program, which helps fund the replacement of elemental mercury-containing devices across campus.

Environmental Health and Safety manages universal waste items (fluorescent lamps and recyclable batteries) for all campus properties. In conjunction with The Office of Sustainability EHS has established over 100 battery recycling collection areas.

The University Power Plant has substituted biomass fuel for approximately one third of the coal burned, reducing coal ash production by approximately the same fraction.

EHS has operated a chemical recycling program that takes unwanted excess chemicals from laboratories and returns them free of charge to other interested campus researchers. In 2007, EHS recycled 3,600 chemical containers, which had an avoided purchase cost, adjusted for MU discounts, of $199,700. EHS also recycled 960 pieces of lab equipment (mostly glassware) with an avoided purchase cost of $19,600. EHS also removed 10 kilograms of mercury devices from its facilities and replaced them with non-mercury devices at a cost of $1,400.

Hazardous materials are chemicals that exhibit one or more of the following characteristics: ignitability,corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity. MU generally uses the most restrictive regulatory definition in identifying hazardous materials. EHS works closely with the Hazardous Materials Management Committee to develop campus policies and review campus issues related to hazardous materials.

EHS collects and manages unwanted hazardous materials. Campus activities are managed through the designation of Principal Investigators and Supervisors as Registered Users, who are responsible for locations where hazardous materials are used or stored. In addition, EHS monitors these locations to assure that hazardous materials are being handled and stored safely.

Hazardous and universal waste materials are disposed of via contracted and bonded disposal companies.

None

Environmental Health and Safety operates a Chemical Redistribution Program as part of the overall MU Hazardous Material Services program. The objective is to collect surplus chemicals and redistribute them to those who need them. The current inventory of items are available to be viewed online, and is updated weekly.

Recycling of the following items is available for institutional electronics waste (through receptacles on campus, recycling drives, or other means): batteries, cell phones, computers, light bulbs, printer cartridges, and other e-waste.
In addition to the above items, which are recycled in-house through Procurement, MU also co-sponsors with the Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District collection events open to the public on campus for computers, televisions, microwaves and other items.

EHS communicates e-waste requirements to campus through training and its website. MU follows the Missouri E-cycle Standards, also known as MOEST, which were developed to identify common sense strategies that define best management practices for collecting, processing and transporting e-scrap in Missouri that protect the environment.