Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 34.48
Liaison Rebecca Jones
Submission Date Feb. 9, 2022

STARS v2.2

Austin College
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Rebecca Jones
Coordinator
Center for Environmental Studies
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Hazardous waste minimization and disposal

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:
Austin College is a conditionally exempt small quantity waste generator (CESQG). A faculty/staff member also acts as an EPA contact and is responsible for labeling, storing and scheduling pickups for all health and chemical waste. She also trains staff and students participating in labs that produce chemical waste.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Waste from laboratory classes are descriptively labelled (full names, concentrations, amounts) and stored in satellite locations before transport to a centralized location on campus. Waste is removed by a female- and minority-owned local business called Green Planet.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
None

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
All lab chemicals are inventoried and kept in satellite locations close to lab classrooms.

Part 2. Electronic waste diversion

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 Environmental Studies department and its student workers maintain bins around campus for the collection of used/spent batteries and printer ink cartridges. Additionally, anyone on campus can bring small electronics to the library circulation desk or ENVS coordinator's office for recycling. Batteries are recycled at our local Batteries Plus store for a small fee. Ink cartridges are currently shipped for recycling to the Recycle4Education program. All other e-waste (large and small) is collected and picked up by [HIPAA and EPA compliant] STS Electronic Recycling.

Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
No

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program 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.