State University of New York at Oneonta
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

The College at Oneonta has implemented an aggressive plan to eliminate or reduce many laboratory chemicals in store rooms and laboratories leading up to a renovation of the science buildings. A reduction in inventory for both science buildings made temporary relocation of classes and laboratories easier and safer. SUNY Oneonta, led by the Environmental Health and Safety Officer, will continue to evaluate the potential to reduce the volume of hazardous waste by exploring the use of alternative substances. The College has empowered the chemistry laboratory assistant and the Chemical Stores Clerk to review the quantity of laboratory chemical purchases and to review general facility purchases of chemicals in advance of placing orders and to explore alternative substances and substitutes that will not generate hazardous wastes. That may not be possible in many cases, particularly where specific chemicals must be used and specific experiments must be conducted as part of classroom education.

The College at Oneonta is committed to excellence in protecting the environment and the environment of its faculty, staff, students, and the College community. In keeping with this policy, our objective is to reduce waste and emissions, and to minimize adverse impacts on the air, water and land. By successfully reducing waste and emissions, we will have maintained a safe and healthy campus. We will continue to look for opportunities to prevent pollution and minimize hazardous waste. The College believes that all faculty, staff, administration, students, and staff are entitled to a safe and healthy campus. To ensure this ideal, we will commit resources to aggressively remove recognized hazards, provide education and training, provide appropriate personal protective equipment, as well as hold administrators, faculty, staff, students, and patrons responsible for good health and safety practices. The College at Oneonta's Universal Waste Protocol includes the following: Batteries- Any batteries that show evidence of leakage or spillage must be contained. The container must be closed, structurally sound and compatible with the contents of the batteries. Batteries or the container they are stored in must contain the following phrase: Universal Waste- Batteries and the date the battery was accumulated. Thermostats- Universal waste thermostats will be stored in the volatile storage area, labeled universal waste thermostat, and dated with the accumulation date. They will be removed with the hazardous waste shipment. Lamps- Fluorescent lamps will be placed in boxes that are structurally sound, preferably large round tubes supplied by Northeast Lamp Recycling, or the boxes they came in. The boxes must remain closed. The boxes must have a label with the following phrase: Universal Waste Lamps, and the date the lamps were accumulated. Compact Fluorescent bulbs- These bulbs will be placed in a box that is structurally sound and kept closed. The boxes must have a label with the following phrase: Universal Waste Lamps, and the date the lamps were accumulated.

There were no significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years.

In the Chemistry Department laboratory chemicals are ordered through the “Chemical Handler” with assistance from the Building Director’s Secretary (for finance purposes). When the materials come in, they are accepted by the Chemical Handler who creates an inventory of the shipment and labels each container with a barcode. The barcode includes the date on which it was received, what the material is and other information. The barcoded containers are then stored in the “Chemical Storage Room” for all users. When a faculty member needs to use the material, it is scanned out of the storage room, or it is recorded that some of the material was taken/transferred. This helps to maintain an accurate inventory of the usage of chemicals and to inform future orders. When the faculty member is done with the material, the barcode is scanned back in (if it was removed from the room) and it is ready for use for the next user.

College owned electronics are picked up 3 times a year by a local recycling vendor. A student electronic waste recycling collection center is located in the Student Union with smaller bins available in each Residence Hall. When electronic materials accumulate, typically once a semester, an electronic waste handler picks up the materials to be recycled. The SUNY Oneonta Refurbished Technology Program (SORT) was designed to gather and refurbish still usable computers or related equipment that have outlived their usefulness in one department but may be useful to another. Redistribution is on a first come, first served basis and SORT equipment is for work-related purposes only. Refurbished technology can be used to replace existing older equipment, and is not intended for the creation of computer labs. If you have computer or related equipment that you wish to have removed from your department, please follow the college's surplus policy.