Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 47.95
Liaison Karen Marin-Hines
Submission Date March 7, 2025

STARS v2.2

Texas Tech University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Karen Marin-Hines
Campus Sustainability Officer
Operations
"---" 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:
The University strives to achieve its goals to reduce waste generation it has set through its Source Reduction and Waste Minimization (SRWM) plan that it updates every five years and reports its progress annually to the State regulatory authority, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The University currently has a goal in place to reduce hazardous waste generation by 5% over the next five years. This is achieved by education of its customers (mostly laboratories) in the proper use of hazardous materials and proper handling and disposal practices for hazardous waste. It has also streamlined its receipt of chemicals and other hazardous materials though a central receiving facility called the Gateway. The material is cataloged, tracked, and barcoded to prevent excessive amounts of chemicals from being over-ordered and accumulated on campus. The ultimate goal of this process is to reduce the amount of laboratory chemicals that need to be wasted because of non-use or expiration.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:

The University partners with a permitted Treatment, Storage, and Disposal facility (TSDF) for the safe, legal, and final disposition of all of its hazardous waste streams. Hazardous waste is prohibited from being placed in a landfill per federal law so the waste must be disposed at one of these federally permitted facilities. The waste is safely stored on-campus for less than 90 days before being packaged and transported by a registered hazardous waste transporter to the permitted TSDF for either incineration or fuels blending. The waste is manifested from the University to the TSDF for accountability and compliance with State and Federal regulations.


A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:

There have been no releases of hazardous waste to the atmosphere, ground, or waters of the State in the last three years.


A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:

In 2022, a new program was established by EHS to facilitate the reuse of overstock, off-specification, expired, or simply unused chemicals located in campus laboratories. These chemicals, which in many cases, are still viable and usable are temporarily stored and redistributed for reuse and free of charge. This program is called Raiders Reuse It.


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:
The recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) on the TTU campus is comprised of following e-waste streams: batteries, light ballasts, computers, and other miscellaneous equipment. A total of 90,594 lbs. of materials were collected and recycled by EHS. Approximately, 59, 594 lbs. of this amount comprised e-waste that was collected and recycled.

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:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ehs

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.