| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.45 |
| Liaison | Austin Sutherland |
| Submission Date | May 1, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Pennsylvania
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
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:
Each principle investigator or supervisor for all Penn research or other academic science labs evaluates methods to reduce waste volume and toxicity. Non-hazardous and less toxic materials are substituted whenever possible, and only the amount needed is purchased to avoid an excess surplus, which leads to increased disposal costs.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The Office of Environmental Health & Radiation Safety (EHRS) is responsible for the development and implementation of proper management practices for all aspects of the handling, storage, and disposal of chemical wastes that are generated at the University of Pennsylvania. Their goal is to manage chemical wastes in a safe and environmentally sound manner that complies with all applicable federal, state and local regulations.
The University has several protocols for managing the cleanup and disposal of various types of bio-hazardous, radioactive, chemical, and mixed-waste, as well as used sharps and mercury-containing objects. Eventually, all of this waste is collected by EHRS and disposed of according to regulations set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The University has a zero tolerance policy for non-compliance with these environmental regulations
The website URL where information about hazardous materials management is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.