Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 55.03
Liaison Sara McIntyre
Submission Date Aug. 10, 2022

STARS v2.2

Sewanee - The University of the South
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Sara McIntyre
Sustainability Coordinator
OESS
"---" 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:
Products that could result in hazardous, non-hazardous, or universal waste are purchased as needed in the minimum quantity needed to reduce waste.
The University is transitioning away from mercury containing fluorescent bulbs to energy efficient LED bulbs.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The University recycles paper products, glass, and metal.
For each waste stream, the University has a waste stream profile on file with TDEC and a nationally recognized waste disposal vendor. This vendor processes each waste stream to recycle material and prevent or minimize landfill disposal of processed waste.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
The University has not experienced a hazardous material release within the last three years.

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
The Chemistry Department utilizes a chemical inventory system (Quartzy) to inventory chemicals within the Chemistry Department.
The University utilizes an online SDS management database. In addition to providing ready access to SDS, this database lists which chemicals are utilized in each University department.

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:
Technology Access and Support does have a electronic waste recycling vendor who takes waste when enough is collected, but no weights are kept. The local county MRF will also take e-waste from the University.

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

Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
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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.