| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.13 |
| Liaison | John Alejandro |
| Submission Date | March 24, 2021 |
University of San Diego
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Alison
Sanchirico Sustainability Coordinator 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:
Reduction of hazardous waste is accomplished by maintaining a current chemical inventory and encouraging facility and students to borrow chemicals from neighboring laboratories whenever practical and reasonable to do. Sharing chemicals reduces purchases of chemicals that are not used frequently ordered or used, therefore, reducing the amount chemical waste generated. IT policies have changed to extend the usable life of electronics from 3 to 5 years, which reduces the amount of computer purchased each year, which then reduces the amount of computers disposed of during each year. Fluorescent lights that need replacement are replaced with energy efficient and long lasting LED lights, which over time will reduce the amount fluorescent tubes disposed of annually.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Hazardous waste is collected and stored in central locations throughout the campus. All waste streams are profiled and then disposed of in an environmentally conscientious manner. The university recycles over 95% of the hazardous waste generated on campus by utilizing EPA approved recycling methods such as "Fuels blending" for solvents. Batteries and fluorescent lights are collected and shipped to a recycler through the University's hazardous waste handler. All hazardous waste shipments are captured on a manifest and submitted to the DTSC for review and record keeping. All employees who handle hazardous and Universal waste receive annual safety training.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
No significant hazardous material release during the previous 3 years.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
The university uses a chemical management system called "MSDSonline", which not only provides Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals on site, there is a chemical inventory function that allows students and facility to search the inventory using their desktop computer or cell phone. The University's inventory is constantly updated and reviewed on an annual basis.
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 University generated electronic waste is collected for donation to the San Diego Futures Foundation, a non-profit organization that reuses electronics when possible and recycles when necessary.
Students can donate their electronics to Disabled American Veterans (DAV) via the donation collection bins on campus. DAV then reuses them or recycles them, as appropriate.
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:
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.