Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 31.69
Liaison Elizabeth Masuen
Submission Date Aug. 30, 2021

STARS v2.2

Metropolitan Community College
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Sally Hopley
Coordinator of Sustainable Practices
Campus Planning and Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Hazardous waste minimization and disposal

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:
MCC is working to reduce our hazardous, special, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste by conducting an annual purge to remove unwanted and unnecessary chemicals. We are also taking a more hands-on approach and are working with other departments that haven't previously been involved in the purge to reduce chemicals that we no longer use or need. Additionally, we are improving inventory management to reduce the quantities of chemicals we order, including monitoring and reducing the amount we have on hand. Finally, there is more personal interaction by our Health and Safety Director to educate departments on appropriate chemicals and opportunities for alternatives.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
MCC hires a contractor to assist with disposal of our hazardous, special, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
MCC has not and any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years.

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
We do not have a system for the reuse or redistribution of lab chemicals. Our labs are intended spaces for students to learn how to conduct projects in a safe and responsible manner. We do not have research laboratories. The College uses MSDS online for chemical inventory management.

Part 2. Electronic waste diversion

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:
MCC encourages all staff, faculty, and students to drop off old hand-held electronic devices and batteries to be properly recycled. MCC then takes the items to various e-cyclers in the area based on product type. One organization that MCC uses is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower and equip disadvantaged and under-educated youth and adults through character development, vocational training, and job experience. Any items that can't be donated to their organization are taken to a local electronics recycler.

Additionally, for larger items, we call in a company with a local presence to haul and recycle the items.

Lastly, we offer them on the public auction site for reuse for working electronics that we no longer need or use before they go to recycling.

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

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information on MCC's hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs is currently available on our employee-only Intranet. We will be updating the website to include publicly accessible information on our hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs at a later date. If you need immediate information, please submit a request.

E-Waste Data is from 2020 CPS Internal tracking.

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.