| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 62.47 |
| Liaison | Kara Holmstrom |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Luther College
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 1.00 |
Maren
Beard Assistant Director, Campus Sustainability Center for Sustainable Communities |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1
Yes
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Micro experiments techniques are used in lab whenever possible. This means that the smallest amount of each chemical possible is used when performing a lab. Luther also has kept a log of the hazardous waste generated by the college for many years. Records used to be kept in the Human Resources Office but now are kept by Facilities Services. Initially the records only included information about chemicals used in biology and chemistry experiences but the program now includes arts/theatre, grounds, custodial and athletics, among others.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Luther College contracts with Safety-Kleen Systems Inc., to safely dispose of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated waste. Safety-Kleen regularly completes a part-washer of all machines on campus, using a water-based cleaner to safely break down chemicals accumulated on the machines. There is also an annual hazardous material lab pack, during which Safety-Kleen collects all Luther's hazardous chemicals from various faculty, staff, and labs and properly disposes of it. Luther also keeps all Material Safety Data Sheets, which are obtained when purchasing products containing hazardous chemicals. These data sheets provide a record of every chemical used on campus, describe each chemical, its properties, all the effects it can have on the body, and how to properly dispose of it.
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:
There is no formal system at present, but the chemistry and biology departments repeat the same or very similar experiments each year, and thus often coordinate so that the waste product produced in one lab can be recycled and utilized in another lab experiment. Perhaps more important are the efforts taking place to choose experiments that don't use extremely hazardous materials and also to order just what is needed without building up large backstocks of reactive agents. College personnel are attentive to cleaning out old storage areas and disposing of old/outdated materials appropriately.
Part 2
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:
Luther’s institutional computer recycling program is not open to individuals, functioning solely as the recycler of institutional electronic equipment. To supplement the recycling program, Luther ITS created an online used equipment sale site (http://www.luther.edu/helpdesk/usedequipment/). Items such as computers, monitors, printers, speakers, and keyboards that are obsolete for Luther’s purposes but still in too good of condition to be recycled are sold on the site and sent away for reuse. Dynamic Recycling, Midwest Electronic Recovery, and other recycling programs pick up a truckload of recyclable items ranging from CRT computer monitors, AV equipment, and overheads to slide projectors. Cell phones are recycled through Wireless Alliance. Light bulbs are picked up by Retrofit Recycling. Batteries and printer cartridges are also recycled.
We have no program in place to deal with e-waste generated by students but do give them direction in how to dispose of it responsibly.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Yes
Optional Fields
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.