| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 79.01 |
| Liaison | Lindsay Walker |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2023 |
Humber College
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Lindsay
Walker Sustainability Manager Facilities Management |
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:
Humber has taken steps to reduce the volume and variety of hazardous chemicals on campus, and continues to work with faculties and departments to identify old and/or unwanted chemical products for disposal. Following the federal and provincial regulatory changes to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Humber made concerted efforts in 2019 to work with faculties and departments to identify and dispose of older and unwanted chemical products. For a number of reasons, the COVID-19 pandemic facilitated a review of academic activities and a reduction in the use of chemicals in a number of programs. The amount of hazardous wastes disposed of from the college significantly decreased over the past three years. The college will continue to review usage of chemicals and measures to minimize the chemical wastes on campus. All hazardous chemicals identified were properly disposed of in keeping with environmental regulations.
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 in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act and the General – Waste Management Regulation (Reg. 347). Individual faculties 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 third party contractor 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. An inspection conducted by the Transportation of Dangerous Goods authority in June 2022 showed that the college conducts its hazardous waste disposal process in compliance with the applicable legislation.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
There have been no incidents involving significant hazardous material releases at the college over the past three years. The college has local procedures in place to address chemical spills, as well as an emergency spill response contractor to assist with cleaning and remediation, and an environmental consulting firm to monitor and make recommendations for preventing harmful exposures should such an event occur.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
Humber currently has an online inventory system for each faculty and department to manage their chemical inventory and safety data sheets. The system is not currently actively being used to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals; however, there is potential to use the system to do this in future.
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:
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. E-waste bins are located in accessible areas and e-waste collection is promoted on social media to encourage people to responsibly recycle their e-waste.
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.