University of Nevada Las Vegas
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management

UNLV generates hazardous waste (HW) from its laboratories and other locations, numbering about 100 locations. HW is collected at 16 locations at the UNLV main campus and one location at the Shadow Lane Campus. UNLV has had a formalized HW management program for about 6 years. The main method of hazardous waste reduction on campus is to train people on minimizing the use of toxic chemicals. UNLV has other methods to reduce hazardous waste - which is to to remind people not to purchase quantities of chemicals in excess of what they are actually going to use. UNLV does not have a way of reducing most Universal waste but it is picked up by a recycler. This department also recycles batteries, also, with a recycler. Over the last several years, we have had a problem with (research, mostly chemistry) faculty leaving UNLV and leaving behind very large quantities of unused chemicals. We have worked with the departments and now a professor will not be "checked out" of UNLV without ensuring that chemicals are used or distributed to others.

UNLV accumulates HW as described above. The HW is consolidated at a regulatory approved 180-day accumulation area, which is secure, covered storage, meeting Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations. The waste is picked up, packaged according to RCRA and Department of Transportation regulations, and shipped to approved disposal facilities. Universal Waste is accumulated at a central campus UW storage area and picked up by an approved transportation and disposal vendor. Non-hazardous waste is recycled using a RCRA/EPA approved methodology, following regulations

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UNLV has implemented a campus-wide inventory system called CHIMERA which lists all chemicals on campus and provided MSDS sheets for each chemical. Each chemical on the inventory is barcoded and the inventory of all chemicals is performed each year by scanning the barcodes and adding barcodes for new chemicals not yet in the system. This system allows the department to periodically review the chemicals that are on campus. In addition, UNLV has a waste pickup request from on the Risk Management Website. This allows campus constituents to request pickup of chemicals and wastes. All wastes, usable chemicals and outdated chemicals are collected at one location on each of two campuses. In this way we are able to assess the chemicals and determine if we can reuse or recycle them. This program has a good record of reusing chemicals. Our Hazardous Materials Safety Technician who operates our waste chemical storage area, routinely reviews and assesses the chemicals and communicates with various departments to determine if they can use chemicals we have in the reusable inventory. This program is successful, as well . One other program is also employed to reduce excess chemical waste. We evaluate the needs of departments and try to minimize the quantity that they order. UNLV departments used to order quantities that resulted in excess that had to be wasted or recycled. We now review how much is on hand versus how much is ordered in order to minimize the waste quantities. This program has reduced the quantity of excess/waste.

All e-waste sent to the UNLV Surplus Department is either donated to The Blind Center Of Nevada or sold for profit at bi-weekly surplus sales or TNT Auction.

Any computers or e-waste received by the Surplus Department is inspected to determine whether or not it has monetary value or if it is to be recycled. All hard drives are either removed and destroyed or sanitized if they are to be re-sold.