Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 59.32
Liaison Lindsay Walker
Submission Date Oct. 14, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Humber College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Lindsay Walker
Sustainability Manager
Facilities Management
"---" 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:
Humber has taken steps to reduce the volume and variety of hazardous chemicals on campus by encouraging the various schools and departments to identify old and/or unwanted products while updating their chemical inventory information. A few associated chemical storage rooms have also been cleared of hazardous materials and cleaned. The College has been undergoing significant renovations over the past year which has provided an additional opportunity to identify and dispose of unused and unwanted chemicals. All hazardous chemicals identified were properly disposed of in keeping with environmental regulations and as described below.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Humber has implemented a process for the proper disposal of hazardous waste as per the Environmental Protection Act and the General – Waste Management Regulation (Reg. 347). Individual schools and departments provide a list of materials they would like to have disposed of to Health and Safety Services which then arranges disposal with a company that has the appropriate Certificates of Approval to transport and receive the hazardous waste. Health and Safety Services ensures that all hazardous waste generated by Humber is registered with Ontario's Ministry of the Environment.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
In the spring of 2016 there was a mercury spill in the Central Plant at our North Campus location. Approximately 15 ml of mercury spilled from a manometer onto the Plant floor inside the loading dock area and immediately outside the dock door. An emergency spill responder attended to the scene the same day of the spill. Additional cleaning and remediation was subsequently carried out by a spill response contractor. An environmental consulting firm was on site to provide recommendations and monitoring during the remediation process.

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
None

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?:
Yes

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:
Staff and faculty place a request with our IT Services staff to have electronic waste picked up from their area. Once enough volume has been collected we work with a local electronic waste recycling company (approved by the Ontario Electronic Stewardship), that picks it up for proper recycling. The Office of Sustainability also organizes e-waste drives each semester to collect electronic waste generated by students.

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

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:
23.29 Metric tons

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