Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.78
Liaison Jessica Bowen
Submission Date March 4, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Aquinas College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Jessica Eimer Bowen
Director of Sustainability
Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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:

Aquinas College has worked hard to reduce the impact of its operations, activities and services on the environment and to better satisfy the requirements and expectations of its faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees. Some strategies used to meet accomplish these goals include: 1) Using latex paint whenever possible to eliminate the need for solvents; 2) Using microscale in organic experiments; 3) Using less toxic alternatives to certain solvents and redesigning experiments to use less; and 4) Keeping accurate inventory to buy only what we need


A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:

While Aquinas has minimal hazardous waste, it is all disposed of or recycled by certified and compliant companies. Universal and non-regulated chemical waste is collected and stored in marked containers and recycled with appropriate local companies.


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 releases in the past 3 years.


A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:

We’ve used inventory software for the past 10 years to help with buying only what we need and disposing of excess through a licensed hazardous waste disposal company. For example, the chemistry lab coordinator maintains an inventory of all chemicals in the science building. Once a year, the inventory is reviewed and outdated chemicals are incinerated or landfilled by a reputable small volume hazardous waste disposal company.


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

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:

Aquinas College encourages that all unwanted and broken electronic items are recycled on campus, including cell phones, alarm clocks, radios, computer parts, and much more. Any item with a battery or a cord is accepted (excluding large appliances such as refrigerators). Collection sites are located all across campus in almost every building. Collected electronics are donated to Comprenew Environmental, a non-profit e-waste recycler who reprocesses all e-waste collected for resale or disassembles into component parts for reuse by suppliers.


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

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:
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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.