| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.14 |
| Liaison | Bremen Leak |
| Submission Date | July 10, 2024 |
Brigham Young University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Bremen
Leak Associate Director Sustainability & Continuity |
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?:
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Hazardous and special regulated items are reduced on campus where possible, lowering the amount of waste generated by BYU. As professors submit chemicals that are no longer needed but are still usable, other professors are contacted to see if they have a need or use for them. For example, when two large bottles of mercury were submitted as “unwanted waste,” another professor found a use for them in his lab.
Non-regulated chemicals are picked up for disposal as well. These items generally include products found in homes, such as cleaning products, shampoos and soaps, paints, etc. BYU has contacted various shelters and other non-profit organizations to see if these non-regulated items may be donated. The items must remain in their original, unopened packaging to be donated.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Risk Management provides containers for biohazardous waste, flam, acid, base chemicals, lights, and solid waste. Campus labs and facilities consolidate waste in these containers and submit online requests to Risk Management for collection when needed. Student technicians then pick up the waste, perform characterization analysis, consolidate it, and prepare it for shipping by licensed vendors at regularly scheduled times. Risk Management tracks the containers through Container Management, a software solution, to comply with storage time regulations.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
There have only been minor spills––less than 2 liters––within the past three years on campus. Those spills have been contained and have not been released into the environment. The spilled material was cleaned up using proper procedures and protocols. Then the cleaned-up spilled materials and equipment used in the cleanup process were properly disposed of through BYUs licensed vendor.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
A professional in BYU's chemistry department oversees the chemical inventory process and all purchases of chemicals for campus. If two or multiple professors are ordering the same chemicals, the professional works with those professors to ensure that BYU is not ordering too much, resulting in unwanted excess materials that must be properly disposed of. Careful oversight of BYU's inventory system of all chemicals ensures that supplies are purchased only as needed and redistributed whenever possible.
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
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:
BYU IT Surplus receives most of the electronic waste produced by the institution and students. What isn't resold at public auction, resold online, or used elsewhere on campus is consolidated and taken to a local computer recycler, TAMS, which is R2 certified and committed to environmental responsibility and compliance. Ballasts and batteries are recycled through Risk Management’s approved vendors.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.