| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.00 |
| Liaison | Jessica Krejcik |
| Submission Date | Dec. 22, 2021 |
Concordia University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Pietro
Gasparrini Director Environmental Health and Safety |
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:
Policies are in place in labs to reduce usage of hazardous waste whenever possible. Concordia's chemical inventory also minimizes the need for labs to overuse or order hazardous chemicals.
http://www.concordia.ca/campus-life/safety/lab-safety.html
In case of lab decommissioning, EHS would verify the materials and provide them to other users safely for reuse.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
We have specific procedures in place to dispose of chemical waste, sharp waste, radioactive waste, biohazardous waste, mixed waste, and other hazardous waste.
https://www.concordia.ca/campus-life/safety/Hazardous-Waste-Disposal.html
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
In May 2018, a truck of the city of Montreal came to Concordia parking. After manoeuvring to get out, the truck hydraulic fluid reservoir hit the fence. Approximately 100L were spilled on the road. EHS put some absorbent on the spill to limit the spread, and a specialized company came on site to remove oil and clean the site.
Environmental impact was minor as all pollution was contained. Social impact was negligible considering the area is a road dead end without regular traffic.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
EHS coordinates the hazardous materials inventory program. When a researcher wants to dispose of chemicals that can be used by another lab, EHS will collect them, verify that they are in good condition (including container) and circulate to different departments the list of chemicals to be claimed.
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:
We have specific procedures in place to dispose of toner cartridges; batteries; CFL builbs; incandescent bulbs; desktops, monitors, laptops, and other large e-waste; small electronics and ink cartridges.
https://www.concordia.ca/about/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives/zero-waste/e-waste.html
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:
Notes concerning the institution's electronic waste recycler certification from Concordia's Environmental Coordinator, Faisal Shennib:
Both companies we principally work with have R2 certification.
1. Electrobac, our small e-waste recycling company, is EPRA certified, which requires them to be approved by the Recycler Qualification Office under the Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS).
2. Quantum Lifecycle, our large e-waste recycler, is listed on the SERI website for R2 certification.
In general, as a principal, we vet our e-waste providers to ensure they are certified with a reputable e-waste auditing certification.
Notes concerning the institution's electronic waste recycler certification from Concordia's Environmental Coordinator, Faisal Shennib:
Both companies we principally work with have R2 certification.
1. Electrobac, our small e-waste recycling company, is EPRA certified, which requires them to be approved by the Recycler Qualification Office under the Electronics Recycling Standard (ERS).
2. Quantum Lifecycle, our large e-waste recycler, is listed on the SERI website for R2 certification.
In general, as a principal, we vet our e-waste providers to ensure they are certified with a reputable e-waste auditing certification.
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.