South Seattle 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.

During a hazardous waste disposal event, the contractor loaded up a cart of oil-based paint. The cart was bumped and a can of paint fell off the cart. The impact caused the lid to dislodge and roughly 200 mL of oil-based paint spilled onto the parking lot pavement. The crew immediately followed spill cleanup response and there was no evidence of environmental or human exposure.

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.