| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 45.79 |
| Liaison | Larry Cook |
| Submission Date | Dec. 4, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of South Carolina
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Austin
Sutherland 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:
USC collects, recycles, reuses, and repurposes waste materials where possible. This includes hazardous waste, non hazardous waste, universal waste, infectious waste, and electronic wastes.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
A vendor picks up and recycles or provides assistance in reusing non hazardous materials. This can involve reusing materials with a BTU factor for fuels. In addition, USC has a licensed infectious waste vendor who picks up our infectious waste, transports it to a licensed incinerator, and disposes of this waste by incineration. Universal wastes are collected and recycled through licensed vendors. E-waste is recycled using standards for safe recycling and disposal meeting Responsible Recycling Practices (R2) and e-Steward certification programs that define responsible and effective e-waste management.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
USC has not experienced any hazardous material releases 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:
USC uses a chemical inventory system which keeps record of the chemical waste collected and the location where it is stored. This system can also provide useful data for police and fire departments if the stored chemical waste is part of an emergency situation. All of the hazardous waste generated from the Columbia campus is disposed of through our vendor Tradebe. Through a collaborative effort, we have identified many waste streams that can be stabilized and reused in other industries. This allows us to minimize how much of our waste is sent to the landfills or incineration while complying with RCRA standards for proper disposal. A majority of our waste can be blended for fuel and reused by a cement company located near Tradebe’s treatment and disposal facility in Chicago.
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:
Workplace e-waste is managed by our central inventory warehouse and is either reused in offices or recycled by relevant vendors.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Electronic waste recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill or incinerator during the most recent year for which data is available during the previous three years:
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional information may be obtained from
Jeff Brannon,
Hazardous Waste Manager,
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
306 Benson School Columbia, SC 29208
P: (803) 777-1935 I F: (803) 777-5275
Additional information may be obtained from
Jeff Brannon,
Hazardous Waste Manager,
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
306 Benson School Columbia, SC 29208
P: (803) 777-1935 I F: (803) 777-5275
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.