Seattle Central College
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

The campus has a Pollution Prevention and annual inventory filed with the Washington State Department of Ecology in which the 313 listed chemicals products used throughout the year are inventoried and accounted for through the waste stream.

Chemical hygiene standards discussed in HazCom training:

Prefer to purchase:
- least hazardous product options
- recycled/repurposed product, where possible
- No more than 6 months storage (even if you get a bargain for bulk)
- Seek ways to decrease waste generation

Pollution Prevention:
- before a spill verify adequate spill kit materials, based on the chemicals used/stored in the workspace
- know your drain (be prepared to block your drain)
- NEVER leave an open container unattended
- ALWAYS label a new container, at the time of transfer
- NEVER store chemicals above eye level

Know the Emergency Plans & Procedures, including locations of:
- Nearest emergency exits
- SDS Binder & HazCom Program
- Emergency Equipment
- Spill kits
- Fire extinguishers & pull stations
- Emergency eyewash-shower stations
- First aid supply hub
- AED locations

Hazardous waste is disposed through DES state contract with Clean Harbors. Universal waste (used lamps, batteries, oil, and mercury bearing switches) are disposed through Ecolights.
Biohazardous waste and contaminated sharps are disposed of through Stericycle.
Used petroleum oil, cooking oils, fats oils and grease are recycled by Emerald Services (now owned by Clean Harbors) or Ecolights.

In early 2019, the Seattle Maritime Campus had a violation spill of oil waste to navigable waters. The oil water separator had been installed backwards by the contractor and the wrong separated stream was dumped to the nearby waterway. The violation included failure to notify the proper authorities. In early 2020 the Seattle Maritime Campus had an small chemical spill incident of ortho phosphate (corrosion inhibitor). The container broke and spilled when employee was carrying and fell. A small amount of the product splashed on the employee and entered the waterway. The employee followed procedure to rinse the affect body part with fresh water for 15 minutes and filed an incident report. To my knowledge, there was no indication of harm to the individual. Environmental authorities were promptly notified and the conclusion was that the amount spilled was negligible to the waterway.

In mid-2020 an automobile accident occurred on campus property which spilled automotive fluid. There was no evidence of environmental exposure as it was contained on the parking lot pavement. The campus utilized a hazmat spill response crew through DES state contract.

New chemical hygiene standards have been instilled such that departments are not to purchase any quantity of chemicals greater than the expected use for a 6 month period. These standards are communicated in the Hazard Communication training, which is required for all employees working with or around hazardous chemicals and to be refreshed no later than every 3 years (or annually for employees working with or around hazardous waste) and at each time an employee is transferred or new hire.

All college/state owned computers are recycled by the IT Department through InterConnection (first nonprofit in the U.S. to gain R2:2013 and ISO 14001 certification status), a 501(c)3 non-profit that refurbishes and ships computers and laptops worldwide. We also use 3R Technology (only R2:2013 and NAID AAA-Certified ITAD certified e-waste recycling company in the Pacific Northwest) for electronics that InterConnection cannot easily refurbish or recycle. Additionally, small donation boxes are located on campus that also go to InterConnection for recycling and reuse.