Boston University
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management

Chemical users are trained to substitute less hazardous chemicals into experiments and lessons wherever possible. An acetone recycler is used to reclaim waste acetone solvent for reuse within the laboratory. In teaching laboratories, Environmental Health and Safety works with the instructors to build waste management plans for each course which minimizes the amount of waste generated and ensures proper segregation and collection. EHS conducts outreach to laboratory groups to help them avoid reagents that have mercury contamination. To reduce universal wastes, BU is increasingly installing LED light bulbs and fixtures which are mercury-free.

Each user of hazardous chemicals is taught to identify hazardous wastes, and provided with all the materials necessary to collect and manage them safely. Full containers are managed through final disposal by EHS. The hazardous waste collection and disposal program includes many chemicals which do not meet a regulatory definition of 'hazardous waste' but should be collected to protect the environment (medications for example). Universal wastes are managed in a similar fashion, with disposal endpoints carefully selected. An extensive training program and regular inspections are critical to these efforts. This year the quiz at the end of the on-line training was adjusted to reflect the most common issues seen during waste inspections.

Two events stand out over the past three years. The first was a street sweeper which dripped hydraulic fluid from a leaky line while sweeping campus areas. The leak was slow, but covered a lot of area and was cleaned up using a third party vendor who ground and scrubbed out the stains. The total amount of the spill was less than 1 gallon of fluid, and no surface waters were impacted, however the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was notified as a precaution. The second event was a spill/personnel exposure to a phenol product. A reearcher spilled about 20 ml of phenol on his pants while working off-hours. He removed the contaminated clothing and correctly used the drench shower in the lab to remove the chemical. EHS on-call personnel responded from off-site to assist him in getting medical attention and in cleaning up the contaminated areas of the lab. The local fire department was called because of the injury, and oversaw the cleanup of the spilled material and all the water from the drench shower. All materials were collected and disposed as hazardous waste.

An intranet Research Information Management System (RIMS) has been implemented to organize and track research activities on campus. One facet of RIMS is that each laboratory maintains an on-line chemical inventory. The surplus chemical re-use system allows laboratories to mark chemicals in their inventory as 'surplus', which causes them to show up on the re-use page visible to other laboratories seeking reagents. All components of the RIMS system are only accessible internally with valid usernames and passwords. (See http://www.bu.edu/rims/ for more information)

During the school year, sustainability@BU manages the Sustainability Help Desk where the BU community can learn about ways to recycle electronics. sustainability@BU interns also collect electronics as well as other other items that people bring to be recycled. Electronics are then picked up by IRN.

The Institutional Recycling Network (IRN) works with Boston University and many other area universities and a network of local recycling facilities in Massachusetts. The IRN works with ACB Recovery to handle all the University’s electronics recycling needs. ACB is committed to maintaining a safe workplace, and to providing employees with appropriate training and equipment to maintain a safe and accident-free work environment. All employees are instructed upon hire in procedures to assure the safe performance of their responsibilities, including lifting, equipment operation, and tool operation. Employees are provided with and instructed in the use of appropriate safety equipment, including (as relevant) safety goggles, steel-toed footwear, hearing protection, gloves, and protective clothing. Employees are encouraged to report any conditions that they believe may contribute to an unsafe working condition. ACB is committed to providing service that not only complies with all state and federal regulations affecting the handling of electronic equipment (particularly cathode ray tubes, or CRTs, which because of their leaded glass content can be classified as a hazardous waste when discarded), but assures a level of safety and proper handling that goes well beyond compliance. For example, ACB is committed to assuring that re-usable equipment is marketed only to reputable domestic and pre-qualified international markets, and is not exported for recycling to second- and third-world countries with lax environmental controls.

http://www.bu.edu/sustainability/what-you-can-do/events/sustainabilityhelpdesk/