Beloit College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Chemical Reuse: Unused and unopened chemicals being disposed of as waste due to a change in research or discontinuation of a specific research protocol should be redistributed to other laboratories that can utilize the chemical. Sharing unused chemicals will reduce the amount of chemical waste generated. Specific applicable chemicals (typically stable compounds with a long shelf life) will be picked up by the CHO and segregated in the CAA. These chemicals are inventoried in their new location. Inventory Control Each laboratory/studio/shop is encouraged to maintain an appropriate inventory of chemicals in their laboratory as a method to reduce unnecessary purchase and disposal. The following methods can reduce the amount of chemicals in a laboratory and minimize waste generated from expired or unwanted excess chemicals: • Check your inventory and storerooms before ordering. • Purchase smaller containers of chemicals or fewer containers of chemicals. • Avoid purchasing larger quantities of chemicals to save on raw material costs. (Chemical disposal costs are often much higher than the initial purchase cost.) • Rotate stock of chemicals in use to ensure the older chemicals are used before the newer chemicals. Substitution of Less Hazardous Chemicals In some instances, chemicals that are more environmentally friendly may be substituted for traditionally used chemicals. Examples: Propylene glycol instead of Ethylene glycol Ethyl alcohol instead of Methyl alcohol Alcohol thermometers instead of Mercury thermometers Alconox, Pierce RBS35 and Nochromix instead of Chromic acid cleaning solutions Detergent and hot water instead of Organic solvent cleaning solutions Microscale (in the laboratory) Microscale chemistry is a pollution prevention method that decreases the amount of chemical waste generated during laboratory experiments. Standard chemistry procedures are re-written for individual experiments and specialized microscale equipment is utilized to perform the work. In some cases, the amount of a particular chemical needed for an experiment has been decreased by as much as 99 percent. Microscaling has the following benefits: • Reduce chemical waste produced at the source. • Improve laboratory safety by decreasing potential exposure to chemicals and reducing fire and explosion hazards. • Improve air quality due to greatly reduced volumes of solvents and other volatile substances used. • Reduce laboratory costs for chemical purchase and disposal. • Reduce the time required to perform experiments due to shorter chemical reaction times. • Decrease the amount of storage space necessary for chemicals. • Encourage students to think about waste minimization. • Decrease disposal costs for the university. • Increase environmental awareness for the university. This Hazardous waste policy is designed to provide guidance for everyone at Beloit College regarding the proper disposal of hazardous waste. If anyone has additional questions regarding hazardous waste disposal they are encouraged to contact the Chemical Hygiene Officer at 608-363-2388

Hazardous waste collection is performed by CHO on a routine basis and can be requested via phone or email. With either method, the requester must include the following information: • Requester: The name of the person submitting the request. This person should have knowledge of the waste in the event that the CHO has questions. • Telephone #: A contact number for the requester or someone else with knowledge of the waste. •Substance Location: Include the building name and room number. In addition, if the SAA is not readily apparent, the specific location of the waste container should also be noted in the event that CHO performs the waste pick-up when no lab personnel are present. • Chemical Name: Use full chemical names. Do not use formulas or abbreviations. Include all the constituents of each waste container. • Quantity: Include the number of containers of waste and their volumes. Example: Water 50%, Acetonitrile 30%, Methanol 20% 2 X 5 gallon cans Water 50%, Acetonitrile 30%, Methanol 20% 4 X 1 gallon bottles Acetone 100% 3 X 1 liter bottles Hydrochloric Acid 90%, Mercuric Chloride 5% Lead Citrate 5% 1 X 100 ml • If CHO supplies you with 5-gallon waste cans or pails, be sure to note how many replacement containers are needed. Note any additional information about the waste that you feel may be pertinent. • In the event that waste containers to be collected are intermingled with containers that you want to keep, it is helpful if you mark which containers that are being offered for disposal. • Remember that CHO will not accept unknown materials. All waste containers must be labeled and their contents identified. •All waste containers must have a tightly fitting cap that will not leak during transport. Be certain that you have the correct cap for your bottle. The bottles of various chemical manufacturers all have differently threaded caps that are not interchangeable with one another. Improperly capped waste bottles will leak and will not be picked up by the CHO. Request for Hazardous Waste Disposal can be sent by one of these two methods •Via Phone to: 608-363-2388 • Via Email: ballous@beloit.edu • Typically, the pick-up will occur within 2 to 5 working days after the request. Manage your waste accordingly. Do not wait to submit a request until your waste containers are completely full.

We have not had any significant release of hazadous material in the past three years.

We have an online inventory system that is editable by the stockroom manager and associated student workers. The inventory is updated when a new chemical arrives and a complete inventory is done every 6 months or as deemed necessary by the CHO.

E-waste is defined as used electronic equipment. Beloit College recycles toner, batteries, and electronics such as old computers, servers, printers, CRT’s, TV’s and AV equipment. Annually the Office of Sustainability and the Institutional Technology Department partner to offer a campus wide e-waste collection event. We contract with an e-waste vendor who is R2 certified under the CyclePoint network to collect any e-waste generated by students, employees, and their families. Beloit College computers, printers, and servers are first donated to PCI (Paul’s Computer Institute) in Bamenda, Cameroon, Africa (West Africa). This is a school that trains students in Information and Communication Technologies. It was founded in 1997 by Paul C. Mickelson, a retired Beloit firefighter. PCI is currently owned by a Board of Directors (Friends of PCI) with headquarters in Beloit, Wisconsin. More than 400 students a year graduate from PCI.