Baldwin Wallace University
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

The university produces low quantities of hazardous waste. This is, in part, due to policies adopted to avoid the purchase, where possible, of hazardous materials. For instance, the sciences have a policy prohibiting certain compounds (such as those containing mercury).

To remain in compliance with EPA standards, BW contracts with Stericycle for disposal of hazardous wastes. Prior to retrieval by Stericycle, Baldwin Wallace remains within specific quantity levels and storage period parameters in order to comply with EPA regulations and retgain our specific category designations. Currently, the Department of Buildings and Grounds is listed as a Conditioanlly Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG) and the Departments of Chemistry and Biology are listed as Small Quantity Generators (SQG). Hazardous material and hazardous waste are defined as follows: (1) Hazardous Material: Any substances capable of causing physical hazard (flammable or explosive) or a health hazard (irritant or corrosive). (2) Hazardous Waste: A solid or liquid material that is intrinsically, or has become, hazardous due to a combination of or use of hazardous material and has been designated to be either thrown away or stored until quantity or time parameters require disposal. The Ohio EPA defines waste hazardous if it ihas certain properties that could pose dangers to human health and the environment after it is discarded. The waste also possesses certain characteristics such as ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. Departments such as campus cleaning, photography, art studio shops, must label all materials identified as hazardous and store them for semiannual pickup. Under no circumstances are they permitted to be poured into drains or placed in dumpsters. Departments are required to provide the University Buyer, Barb Pavlinsky, with the following information prior to retriveval by Stericycle: (1) The specific name and description of the material. (2) Description and capacity of the respective container. (3) Weight of the material in appropraite measure (i.e., lbs., gallons, kilograms, etc.). (4) The EXACT location - building, floor, room, etc. (5) Name and telephone number of persons to contact during analyzation and/or removal process. To ship hazardous waste off the premises, the waste must be packaged and labeled. Baldwin Wallace contracts an outside source to analyze, certify, package, and label our drums and containers, as required by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). The contractor then transports the waste and must have Ohio EPA and PUCO identfication numbers. The waste is then shipped to a facility permitted or authorized by the Ohio EPA to accept hazardous waste. A Hazardous Waste Manifest must be used also. The university works whenever possible to reduce the use of hazardous materials and overall produces very low quantities of such materials. Semi-annual reports of itemized lists of such materials disposed including their weights are maintained by the university.

There have been no significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years.

Inventories are maintained using Excel or other commercially available software.

(1) The university participates in e waste recycling for institutionally generated items.Specifically, Baldwin Wallace contracts with the company Konica Minolta which recycles electronic waste such as toner cartridges through its Clean Planet Program. Please see the attachment for our data. For more information about Konica Minolta including R2 certification please see: http://consolidatedcopiers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Konica-Minolta-The-Big-Green-Picture.pdf. For more on their Green Planet Program, please visit: https://cleanplanet.konicaminolta.eu/index.php. (2) The Baldwin Wallace University Bookstore also contracts with Battery Solutions which recycles batteries. Please see the attached documentation for the Confirmation of Reclamation notices dated 1.26.2017 and 9.22.2017 indicating the reclamation and recyling of various battery types. (3) Baldwin Wallace has notifications on file with the EPA regarding our generation and disposal. The science area is a Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator, and complies with applicable regulations. We follow RCRA laws and seek guidance and best practices from sources such as our licensed vendors and the local POWWTF regarding specific situations.

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the BW Buyer, Barb Pavlinsky, along with Technician in Physics, David Revta, for supplying the detailed reports and policies necessary to complete this section of the STARS review.