| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.70 |
| Liaison | Michael Lizotte |
| Submission Date | Sept. 18, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Michael
Lizotte University Sustainability Officer Facilities Planning |
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:
The Hazardous Waste Management plan is provided as guidance to control hazardous waste from point of generation through treatment, storage, and disposal; and to comply with the federal, state, and local laws pertaining to hazardous waste/materials management.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Specific Environmental Health and Safety Department programs include: Chemical and Lab Safety; Hazardous Waste Minimization Plan; Hazardous Waste Contingency Plan; and Radiation Safety Program. The Hazardous Waste Minimization Program includes chemical substitution/reduction, inventory control, off-site recycling. The EHS office coordinates the characterization and identification, transport, storage and disposal activates for all regulated wastes generated at UNC Charlotte under the EPA large quantity generator
designation. There are four general categories of hazardous waste generated at the University – assorted waste solvents, discarded commercial chemical products, radioactive mixed wastes, and general chemical wastes. Approximately 80 percent of the waste generated at the University is characterized by six waste codes including: D001 (ignitable), D002 (corrosive), F002 (spent halogenated solvents), F003 (spent nonhalogenated solvents), F005 (spent non-halogenated solvents) and D022 (toxicity characteristic for chloroform). The remaining 20 percent of the waste may include toxicity characteristic wastes, and discarded commercial chemical products. Environmental Enterprises, Inc. is the main hazardous/universal waste recycling entity that handles UNC Charlotte waste production.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
The Environmental Health & Safety Office is not aware of any significant campus hazardous waste release incidents that would have occurred within the past three years.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish all 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):
Electronic waste generated from state property is collected by Surplus Properties. Collected e-waste is sent to a recycler under state contract (Powerhouse Recycling) that is R2 certified. For students, the Office of Recycling and Waste Reduction runs a Take-it-or Leave it Program that supports re-use of electronics, and they direct students to Best Buy or other retailers when they need to recycle electronics. A Move-Out for Charity program at the end of the year generates donations to the Salvation Army including electronics).
A brief description of steps taken to ensure that e-waste is recycled responsibly, workers’ basic safety is protected, and environmental standards are met:
For the state-contracted e-waste recycling, the institution receives reports and receipts for the items and quantities recycled. Powerhouse Recycling processes are in compliance with local, state, and federal laws. They maintain a strict zero landfill policy, and hold the highest environment and data destruction certifications in the R2, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 Certifications along with the NAID Membership.
The website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs is available:
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.