| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 77.34 |
| Liaison | Sally DeLeon |
| Submission Date | Feb. 27, 2022 |
University of Maryland, College Park
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Scott
Lupin Associate Director Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk |
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:
Researchers, labs, and other entities on campus that generate hazardous waste are encouraged to find and use alternative materials to minimize the quantity of waste generated. In addition, researchers are asked to scale-down their experiments when possible, so as to use less hazardous products. Finally, the use of certain hazardous materials are not allowed under the university's purchasing card system. In addition to laboratory uses, university operations seek non-hazardous and less-hazardous products for use in building construction, renovation and maintenance.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The University of Maryland Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk (ESSR) has created a website to track and register chemical, biological, and radioactive waste for disposal. After a waste generator has completed an online training program, they may schedule a waste pick-up with ESSR. The waste is stored in a permitted Part B Hazardous Waste Facility where wastes are packaged, labeled and securely stored per regulation and permit prior to transport and disposal. Hazardous wastes are stored for 6-12 months on average before shipment. This is often done to more efficiently dispose of chemicals or, in the case of radioactive material, to allow them to decay to safer levels. Universal waste is largely collected, tracked and shipped to permitted facilities in the same manner as hazardous waste. Some universal wastes including batteries, fluorescent bulbs, and light ballasts are collected, tracked, and recycled when appropriate.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
No significant releases of hazardous materials.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
There is no such 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:
All recycled electronic equipment at the University is considered surplus equipment and is collected by Terrapin Trader. Functional equipment may be sold to the general public and that which cannot be sold or does not work is sent to a qualified e-Stewards certified vendor where it is deconstructed into individual components, which are then recycled.
Students can recycle e-Waste in bins located in residence hall lobbies, in STAMP Student Union, and at various locations throughout campus. Students can donate electronic goods to Terrapin Trader or recycle them at the end of the year with the Trash to Treasure move-out program (http://reslife.umd.edu/trashtotreasure/items/).
To help students, staff, and faculty find specialty recycling locations, UMD created a map layer: https://maps.umd.edu/map/index.html?&x=-76.94375199999868&y=38.98855324381716&zoom=18&basemap=simplified&layers=batteryRecycling,compost,dumpster
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:
Hazardous Waste: https://essr.umd.edu/environmental-affairs
Terrapin Trader: https://purchase.umd.edu/services/terrapin-trader
Hazardous Waste: https://essr.umd.edu/environmental-affairs
Terrapin Trader: https://purchase.umd.edu/services/terrapin-trader
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.