| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 36.20 |
| Liaison | Laurel Pikcunas |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
University of Hawaii at Manoa
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 1.00 |
Matthew
Lynch Director UH System Office of Sustainability |
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?:
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Buying Chemicals in Smaller Amounts.
Recycling and Redistribution.
Efforts are to be made to find someone in the laboratory or department who could use the hazardous material before it is turned into EHSO as excess or waste. EHSO encourages the redistribution and exchange of surplus chemical products within the UH system as an alternative to disposal as waste. Information on the chemical exchange program and the UH electronic swap meet can be found online at www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazmat and www.hawaii.edu/swapmeet
Use of Less Hazardous or Non-hazardous Materials.
Cleaning Solutions: Chromerge, chromic acid and dichromate cleaning solutions are not desirable from a waste disposal perspective as they cannot be made non-hazardous and are expensive to dispose of.
Drying Agents: The safest common drying agents are calcium chloride, silica gel, molecular sieves and calcium sulfate (Drierite). These are recommended because of their low toxicity and stability.
Thermometers: Mercury thermometers are replaced with non-mercury thermometers whenever possible
Conversion to Non-hazardous Material.
As part of instruction or research operations, hazardous materials can be converted into non-hazardous wastes. The neutralization of acids or bases is an example of this.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The EHSO Hazardous Materials Management Program is responsible for the transportation, segregation, consolidation, and storage of potentially hazardous materials and chemicals in compliance with EPA regulations. Material exchange and waste minimization assistance also provided.
Federal and State regulations as well as the UH HMMP require that all generators of hazardous waste receive mandatory initial training and annual refresher training. EHSO will not accept a request for disposal of excess hazardous materials or hazardous waste unless the Hazardous Waste Turn in Form is signed by a generator that has attended the initial training or a refresher training within the past year.
Each type of hazardous waste has a different disposal plan and instructions. Please refer to UH Mānoaʻs Hazardous Material Management Program Manual for information on specifics items and substances: http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/UHHMMP01-1.pdf
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 significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
To minimize waste and negative impact on the environment, the University of Hawaii’s Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHSO) encourages the redistribution and exchange of surplus chemicals and chemical products within the UH system as an alternative to disposal as waste. This chemical exchange program provides additional benefit to the University by helping to reduce the expenses associated with disposing of hazardous waste and purchasing chemicals. http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/ha
Excess chemicals may be requested or offered online through the UH Electronic Swap Meet (www.hawaii.edu/swapmeet). The University of Hawaii’s Environmental Health & Safety Office (EHSO) encourages the redistribution and exchange of surplus chemicals and chemical products within the UH system as an alternative to disposal as waste. EHSO provides the policies for participating in this redistribution and exchange program. http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazardous-materials-management-chemical-redistribution-program/
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
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:
UH Landscaping accepts E-Waste all year long for University-owned e-waste equipment. On the UH Manoa campus you can arrange for pick-up/consolidation of University-owned equipment by Buildings & Grounds throughout the year by one of three methods:
Delivering equipment to Landscaping, M-F 6:00 -10:30 am, 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Completing an eFacilities AiM Work Order, arranging for pick-up at your office by Facilities-Trucking.
Completing an eFacilities AiM Work Order, and calling BGM-Landscaping at 956-7922 to arrange a time and place to pick-up e-waste near your building.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Data sources:
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazardous-materials-management-chemical-redistribution-program/
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/UHHMMP01-1.pdf
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazmat
http://www.hawaii.edu/swapmeet
Additional data & information provided by Hans Nielsen, Occupational Health and Safety Program Manager (University of Hawaii Environmental Health and Safety Office)
Data sources:
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazardous-materials-management-chemical-redistribution-program/
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/UHHMMP01-1.pdf
http://www.hawaii.edu/ehso/hazmat
http://www.hawaii.edu/swapmeet
Additional data & information provided by Hans Nielsen, Occupational Health and Safety Program Manager (University of Hawaii Environmental Health and Safety Office)
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.