State University of New York at New Paltz
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Chemical purchases made on campus which could result in hazardous waste are reviewed by Environmental Health & Safety to ensure that hazardous materials are not being purchased unnecessarily and if so only in sufficient quantities that will not result in the disposal of unused hazardous materials.

The campus has been continually upgrading the lighting system to LED lights, reducing the need for the replacement and disposal of universal waste bulbs.

The Fine Arts Department no longer recycles its waste rags. The Printmaking Shop in the Fine Arts Department has reduced the number of hazardous rags through the reduction of chemicals and flammable solvents, allowing the rags to be disposed of as non-hazardous.

The campus will be utilizing the New York State Paint Collection Program to recycle unwanted paint.

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) should be contacted to remove excess waste from Satellite Accumulation Areas. There are currently 30 SAAs located on campus. EHS performs monthly inspections of these areas and collects waste for proper disposal. The collected waste is transported to the Hazardous Waste Storage Area located across from the Central Heating Plant. All stored wastes are segregated, labeled and stored as required. In accordance with state and federal regulations, all stored hazardous wastes are picked up and disposed of every six months by a licensed hazardous waste hauler. All applicable Hazardous Waste Manifests are kept on file in the EHS Office and submitted to NYSDEC as required, ensuring “Cradle to Grave” disposal of all hazardous wastes produced on campus.

None

Inventory systems are used by both the Biology and Chemistry Departments to keep track of chemical inventory used in labs and research. Students are asked to perform additional reactions in a given experiment so that the resulting material or solution is no longer hazardous and can be disposed of without treatment. The Biology and Chemistry Departments use a shared chemical database that identifies the type of chemical and its exact location within Coykendall Science Building. Faculty from either department can search the database to determine if the reagent is already on hand. This system allows the two departments to more efficiently use our chemical stocks and to minimize redundancy when ordering new supplies.

Residential students drop off e-waste at their RA offices and RAs store the materials in designated e-waste bins. Custodial staff pick up e-waste from RA offices every two weeks. For large e-waste items that do not fit into the bins, RAs request pickup via the work order system. Faculty and staff request pickup of e-waste via the work order system.