| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.36 |
| Liaison | Marianella Franklin |
| Submission Date | Jan. 10, 2023 |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 1.00 |
Richard
Costello, PhD Director Environment Health and Safety |
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:
UTRGV has a waste minimization plan to reduce the hazardous waste. The department of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management provides oversight for the generation, treatment, and disposal of all hazardous waste streams on campus. The staff will collects and disposes all the hazardous waste throughout the university. The University's priority is not just the reduction in the amount of materials that are currently listed hazardous wastes, but includes the reduction of non-hazardous, exempt and non-regulated waste. These wastes are currently recycled instead of being destroyed or land filled.
The following are the waste reduction projects in the university:
1. Mercury waste reduction in Fluorescent Light Bulbs.
2. Reduction of Paint and Pain Thinner Related Wastes.
3. Reduction of Non-halogenated Solvent Wastes.
4.Reduction of Corrosive Wastes.
5. Reduction of Toxic Wastes.
All hazardous materials purchased by the university cannot be purchased without the direct approval from the Department of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Disposal of all regulated waste streams are via a UT System approved contractor. Disposal of waste streams to a landfill are prohibited.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
None
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
The EHSRM maintains an inventory of all potentially reusable chemicals and periodically sends the inventory to appropriate departments for reuse. EHSRM program manager also reviews the collection database to identify laboratories that utilize the respective chemicals. Departments are notified of all laboratory clean-outs to facilitate the reuse of any chemical slated for disposal.
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 electronic waste generated by all the departments is collected and taken from campus to Surplus, where many items are refurbished for reuse. Items that are surplus to one department are made available to all other departments who may claim them on a "first come first
served" basis, at no charge. All electronic waste streams are forwarded to a prison north of Houston where prisoners dismantle the computers for recycling.
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:
UTRGV’s hazardous waste management works toward the sustainable development goal of responsible consumption and sustainable communities by having an electronic waste recycling program and strategies in place to safely dispose of all hazardous materials.
UTRGV’s hazardous waste management works toward the sustainable development goal of responsible consumption and sustainable communities by having an electronic waste recycling program and strategies in place to safely dispose of all hazardous materials.
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.