Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 37.67
Liaison Trina Larson
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Chandler-Gilbert Community College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Sara Haidle
Sustainability Project Assistant
Administration
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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:
From Chemical Hygiene Plan: Before a chemical substance is selected for use in an operation, process or laboratory experiment, the area supervisor and supervising faculty member should review the potential hazards of the substance under the conditions it will be used, and determine whether safer alternatives are available. The conditions in the lab at the time of use should also be considered to assure adequate ventilation, compatibility with other chemicals in use and the relative risk to exposure ratio. Other general approaches include: Seek information and advice about hazards, plan appropriate protective procedures, and plan positioning of equipment before beginning any new operation. Prior to obtaining a chemical, review the MSDS for that substance with attention given to the reactivity and health hazard sections, considering specifically how the chemical will be used. Remember that in many cases, these chemicals will be used by students with a minimum level of safety training. At all times select the chemical with the least toxicity and lowest degree of physical hazard. Only chemicals appropriate to the ventilation system, storage facility and facility disposal arrangements shall be used. Information on the proper handling, storage, and disposal of all chemicals shall be available to the involved personnel prior to their procurement.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
From Chemical Hygiene Plan: The objective of the waste disposal program is to ensure that minimal harm to people, to other organisms, and to the environment will result from the disposal of waste laboratory chemicals. The hazards associated with such waste are present for the individual handling the material, for other occupants of the building who may be downstream from the disposal and for the environment as a whole. For these reasons the disposal of laboratory chemicals to the drain is forbidden without proper chemical evaluation, treatment and/or dilution. The following general guidelines provide additional information about waste handling in the instructional laboratories and in other environments where waste products are handled. Every reasonable attempt will be made to recycle and/or reuse chemicals in an environmentally acceptable manner as the preferred method of disposal. This will be accomplished where appropriate, only by the laboratory technicians, or course instructors. Unlabeled containers of chemicals and solutions shall undergo prompt disposal. Chemical wastes shall be collected and stored according to an approved waste disposal program. Wastes shall be removed from laboratories to a central waste storage area daily and from the central waste storage area as soon as practical within the time frames determined by the producer classification of the facility. Disposal of any chemicals down the drain is prohibited for students, and shall only be performed by laboratory technicians or other trained personnel and shall be in accordance with regulations established by the city and county agencies responsible for regulating discharges into the sewer system. Chemicals shall not be disposed of with mixed refuse for landfill burial. Laboratory hoods shall not be used as a means of disposal for volatile chemicals.

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:
Every reasonable attempt will be made to recycle and/or reuse chemicals in an environmentally acceptable manner as the preferred method of disposal. This will be accomplished where appropriate, only by the laboratory technicians, or course instructors.

Part 2 

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?:
No

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:
ALL e-waste is either donated to a non-profit for reuse or it goes to the district surplus auction for sale. It is then either re-used, refurbished, or recycled. No e-waste goes to the landfill. All batteries are recycled through a local vendor.

Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
---

Optional Fields 

Electronic waste recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill or incinerator during the most recent year for which data is available during the previous three years:
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

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.