Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 43.58
Liaison Christopher Homeister
Submission Date Oct. 30, 2023

STARS v2.2

Salisbury University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Christopher Homeister
Director of Campus Sustainability
Campus 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:
SU reducing hazards on-campus by: 1)Having Faculty order chemicals needed on an as needed basis, 2) Decommissioning old tanks on properties that we are no longer using and upgrading HVAC systems, 3) Monitoring what Faulty uses for demonstrations, 4) Training, 5) Frequent Inspections, and 6) Battery recycling.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Hazardous wastes that include chemicals and batteries are picked up by a 3rd party licensed hazardous waste company twice a year. Hazardous wastes that include lamps are picked up by a 3rd party once a year. Batteries are taken to a recycling center. Asbestos and lead evaluations and tests are conducted on each property the University acquires. Asbestos and lead abatement are contracted out to a 3rd party.

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:
Salisbury University instituted a project that involved the purchase of equipment to reclaim and reuse up to 93% of the spent solvent used in the organic chemistry lab. Previously, the used solvent was treated as waste and sent for disposal at the expense of the University.

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:
The electronics are placed into large agricultural boxes (gaylords) that are palletized and stored until we have 8-12 pallets worth of electronics (a full truck load). Our recycling contractor is A Better Way (https://www.abetterwayrecycling.com/) They pick up, sort, and decide if materials can be refurbished or need to be sent to metal recovery facilities. They will send us documentation and a little bit of money for what they sorted and how much the material weighed.

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:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Rachael Faust - Recycling Coordinator

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.