| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 50.94 |
| Liaison | Corey Peterson |
| Submission Date | July 15, 2020 |
University of Tasmania
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.00 / 1.00 |
Sustainability
Team UTAS Infrastructure Services and Development |
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:
The University's Chemical Management Procedure indicates that "hazardous chemical risks are to be managed with reference to the hierarchy of risk control", where the first option is "where reasonably practicable, the hazardous chemicals is to be eliminated" (i.e., avoiding the use of a hazardous chemical)
Pesticides: alternative treatment measures are always first considered before any chemical application, i.e. removal or cut back of plants, removal of waste or cleaning of area, pesticide is then applied if no other measures are practical as per the product label. Grounds maintenance contractors do not buy or store bulk chemicals; they only purchase the amount needed in the short term. As a result, they seldom have any excess pesticide to dispose of.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The University's Chemical Management Procedure's objectives are to support the identification, assessment and control of risk associated with hazardous chemicals and to ensure that applicable licences and permits are held and renewed by the University in accordance with legislative requirementsfor chemicals. All waste chemicals must be stored using the correct chemical segregation system. The storage and disposal of these chemicals is to be coordinated by the Hazardous Chemical Co-ordinator. In most cases the services of a licensed contractor will be required to comply with hazardous chemical waste disposal requirements. A schedule of chemical waste collection is managed by the WHS Unit.
Pesticides: no pesticides are disposed of on campus, only applications to infested areas as required. Pesticide containers that are empty are triple rinsed with liquid from cleaning repurposed into chemical tanks for next application and then triple punctured and disposed of via general waste collection. Grounds maintenance contractors dispose of pesticides in a legally and environmentally responsible manner through a company called ChemClear that visits Tasmania from Victoria on a regular basis. Their empty Chemical containers are disposed of via the official Drum Muster scheme.
There are no formal strategies for others, and no central approach for all types included in this credit.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
Only one incided recorded that would require EPA or local government notifications during the previous three years.
- 24/01/2019: Cooking oil spill in the car park adjacent to Stone Building and Theatre Annex (Inveresk Campus) from MOFO Festival vendors, then cleaned with Caustic "Hunters INVADE" 20l agent. Agent applied using pressure cleaner and oil and caustic cleaner allowed to run-off down drains (direct drain to local river - Tamar River). Chemicals used were biodegradable and soluble and pressure cleaning applied for force reducing quantity required and increasing dilution. Sufficiently demonstrated no breach of Launceston City Council or EPA requirements for discharge to stormwater.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
There is no formal system in place, however laboratory managers usually reach to each other to facilitate the redistribution of chemicals.
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:
The IT Standard Operating Environment Policy 2017-2020 applies to all University staff and includes three methods for disposing of computer equipment: donation to not-for-profit organisations, sale via internal or external processes (both aiming for reuse), and e-waste collection by UTAS vendor for recycling. A disposal Procedure is currently being updated and is targeting zero tolerance of any items going to landfill.
UTAS has created a process where students can assist in the preparation of computer equipment for donation to increase the ability to donate more equipment to more organisations. This process is being implemented commencing 2020.
Any equipment that is not able to be reused is recycled by an e-waste provider.
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.