Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.39
Liaison Weston Dripps
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Amherst College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Laura Draucker
Director of Sustainability
Office of Environmental Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The General Contractor is responsible for a site risk assessment for each project which must include a plan to eliminate or reduce potential buildup of chemical, environmental, or health related hazards.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
All of the hazardous waste is under a land-ban restriction and is either incinerated or water-treated. Amherst works with Stericycle and Triumvirate Environmental, two companies specializing in hazardous waste disposal with an emphasis on sustainable solutions, to properly handle all waste.

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 college follows the guidelines of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) which established Hazardous Chemical Storage Reporting Requirements (sections 311-312). The college uses a chemical inventory system to track any off-site locations to which chemicals are transferred in waste for recycling, energy recovery, treatment or disposal; and waste treatment/disposal methods, recycling, re-use, transfer and efficiency of methods for each waste stream. In addition to the above, the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 requires collection of information on source reduction, recycling and treatment.

Part 2 

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Yes

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
Yes

If yes to either of the above, provide:

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:
The student and staff in charge of residential life receive training and information on the e-waste recycling services provided by the custodial staff. There are locations for some e-waste recycling, such as batteries, within the dorms and other centers available for the disposal of larger items such as computers and monitors.

Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
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Optional Fields 

Electronic waste recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill or incinerator during the most recent year for which data is available during the previous three years:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.