| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.05 |
| Liaison | Nicole Arsenault |
| Submission Date | April 20, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
York University
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
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:
York is shifting from fluorescent lighting to LED lighting where feasible, thereby reducing the generation of hazardous waste in spent fluorescent tubes. PCBs and asbestos are no longer used as a building material; they are only captured when renovating/demolishing areas containing older construction materials.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
All hazardous materials are safely collected for responsible disposal, including but not limited to: asbestos, PCBs, automotive fluids, paint, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, etc. All hazardous materials are collected at the source, then picked up for temporary on site storage from loading docks throughout the University and collected by certified third parties on a regular basis.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
N/A
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
The Health and Safety department in the Faculty of Science is continually trying to improve the chemical waste disposal process at York, with the aim to reduce the amount of chemicals sent for disposal, and the associated costs. One component put into place is the collection of usable chemicals that are still in good condition (i.e. in the original supplier bottle). The department maintains an inventory of chemicals that are available for reuse. The inventory is circulated periodically, and the chemicals are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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):
Through York's ZeroWaste program, any community member can properly dispose of e-waste, including computers, printer cartridges, batteries, and other items. All e-waste is collected by Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) approved collectors, and is processed within the province. York’s collectors/processors are ISO 14001 certified and estimate that a minimum of 85 per cent of the components from the e-waste processed are recycled.
Date Revised: June 28, 2016
A brief description of steps taken to ensure that e-waste is recycled responsibly, workers’ basic safety is protected, and environmental standards are met:
York partners with an e-waste recycler registered with the Ontario Electronic Stewardship, an industry-led, not-for-profit organization that operates the regulated recycling program in Ontario. OES ensures that end-of-life electronics are handled in a safe, secure and environmentally-sound manner.
The website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs is available:
Date Revised: June 28, 2016
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.