University of North Carolina, Charlotte
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management

The following control practices are used to limit the quantity of hazardous waste generated on campus:
1. Chemical substitution/reduction: replacing a potentially harmful chemical with one that poses less risk to human health and the environment; options for substitution are recommended.
2. Inventory control: auditing chemical supplies periodically and utilizing inventory control to purchase only the quantity of material required/needed for specific projects or tasks; during laboratory cleanouts and building renovations, intradepartmental material exchanges are used.
3. Good housekeeping: preventing hazardous waste spills and releases, reducing the chance of misplaced items, storage beyond their use date, and contamination of product; waste generators are instructed not to mix incompatible waste, to properly segregate waste by type and to properly label wastes as to their constituents; where feasible, secondary containment is used to minimize the potential for breakage and to minimize the consequences in the event of breakage.
4. Off-site recycling: the university collects and ship to recyclers the following common hazardous materials: batteries, lamps containing mercury, mercury containing devices, electrical ballasts, used oil, refrigerant, antifreeze and parts washer fluid.

The university coordinates the collection and storage (in a dedicated storage building) of universal Waste prior to off-site shipment for recycling. Currently, federal regulations allow the following hazardous wastes to be managed as universal waste: batteries, mercury containing equipment, pesticides recalled under FIFRA or collected in a waste pesticide collection program, lamps containing mercury and aerosol cans. North Carolina adopted the federal universal waste provisions (40 CFR 273) by incorporating them by reference at 15ANCAC13A .0119. The Environmental Health & Safety office coordinates the characterization and identification, transport, storage and disposal activities for all regulated wastes generated at UNC Charlotte under the EPA large quantity generator designation. There are four general categories of hazardous waste generated at the University: assorted waste solvents, discarded commercial chemical products, radioactive mixed wastes, and general chemical wastes. Approximately 80 percent of the waste generated at the University is characterized by six waste codes including: D001 (ignitable), D002 (corrosive), F002 (spent halogenated solvents), F003 (spent nonhalogenated solvents), F005 (spent non-halogenated solvents) and D022 (toxicity characteristic for chloroform). The remaining 20 percent of the waste may include toxicity characteristic wastes, and discarded commercial chemical products. Environmental Enterprises, Inc. is the main hazardous/universal waste recycling entity that handles UNC Charlotte's hazardous waste.

The Environmental Health & Safety office did not report any significant campus hazardous waste release incidents that would have occurred within the past three years.

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) has a program for the reuse and recycling of unused chemicals in university laboratories and facilities. Quarterly hazardous waste removal requests are received by EHS and are evaluated to determine if the wastes can be reused by other departments on campus. When materials are in a condition that is satisfactory for reuse, EHS requests that the Department first attempt to redistribute the unused chemicals to others in the same Department prior to these materials being collected as Hazardous Waste. EHS can evaluate whether materials can be utilized in other Departments. This program reduces costs of purchasing chemicals as well as disposal costs.

Electronic waste generated from state property is collected by Inventory Control & Surplus Property. They divert some unwanted electronics to re-use through sales and donations. Electronics deemed to be e-waste are sent to a recycler under state contract (Powerhouse Recycling) that is R2 certified. For students, Building Environmental Services & Recycling collects electronics through "Weird Recycling Centers" (three campus locations) and move-out collections. Students and staff are also informed of retailers that have take-back and e-waste collection programs (e.g. Best Buy) and the Goodwill Industries GRID electronics resale store in Charlotte.