| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.89 |
| Liaison | Isabel Savransky |
| Submission Date | Nov. 14, 2023 |
Ontario Tech University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Isabel
Savransky Sustainability & Asset Planner Office of Campus Infrastructure and Sustainability |
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:
Ontario Tech U Central Stores purchases chemicals for the Faculty of Science undergraduate labs and most research labs at the north campus. (Faculty of Science is the faculty that purchases the majority of chemicals used for teaching and research). Central Stores purchases the majority of chemicals on an ‘as needed’ basis, as opposed to purchasing in bulk and storing chemicals, this reduces the amount of hazardous chemicals on campus. By purchasing on an ‘as needed’ basis, this eliminates the risk associated with transferring chemicals into smaller quantities on campus and is safer for our employees.
Central Stores does promote and encourage sharing of chemicals between undergraduate labs and/or research labs if they need to order the same chemical.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Each faculty and technical department at the north campus has a hazardous waste coordinator. The faculty of science waste coordinator manages the disposal of hazardous, universal and non-regulated chemical waste for the Faculty of Science. As the largest producer of chemical waste the science waste coordinator coordinates the waste pickup for the entire north campus. Minimal quantities of Chemical waste is stored in labs, once a chemical waste container is at capacity (80% volume) it is transferred to and safely stored in a solvent room. The solvent room has the proper infrastructure in place to minimize and reduce risk including a blast wall, proper ventilation, grounding strap, spill kit, storage drums and proper signage. Chemical waste pick-ups are coordinated three times a year with Detox Environmental, a local certified hazardous and non-hazardous waste management firm whose services include chemical waste transportation, disposal and recycling. Detox Environmental is certified by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and is listed on the Hazardous Waste Information Network.
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 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:
Ontario Tech U Central Stores has a complete list of inventory accessible through the school website. Faculty of Science undergraduate lab technicians maintain an inventory database.
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:
For asset tagged e waste, contact servicedesk@dc-ot.ca and include e-waste description, asset tag information, and a pickup location. For all other e-waste contact the service desk with e-waste description and pickup location or drop-off at the Engineers Without Borders bin in Shipping and Receiving.
A portion of campus e-waste helps fund the Ontario Tech U Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Junior Fellowship Program. Any waste that is of low or no value goes to EWB, whose service provider, Ontario Electronic Stewardship, pays EWB based on the weight of 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.