| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.92 |
| Liaison | Mat Thijssen |
| Submission Date | Oct. 26, 2021 |
University of Waterloo
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Mat
Thijssen Sustainability Manager Sustainability Office |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Hazardous waste minimization and disposal
Yes
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
1. Researchers are encouraged to purchase only quantities that they will need (not buy in bulk because of cheaper costs)
2. when a lab is decommissioned all the remaining chemicals are offered to department labs before they are disposed of as hazardous waste
2. when a lab is decommissioned all the remaining chemicals are offered to department labs before they are disposed of as hazardous waste
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Hazardous and non-hazardous waste is disposed of through an MOE approved waste handler (monthly)
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:
University has introduced a chemical inventory system for all labs that allows researchers to search for chemicals that are already present on campus. Individual researchers are allowed to “discretionally hide” items in their inventory. These may be chemicals that otherwise need not be known to be present to individuals on campus for various reasons (pharmaceuticals, radioactives, drug precursors, etc.). Up until about 7 years ago there was a storage room filled with disposed chemicals that were available to any lab on campus but that was terminated due to lack of use and the mounting volume of chemicals.
Part 2. Electronic waste diversion
Yes
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
Yes
If yes to either of the above, provide:
The University’s Central Stores team collects electronic waste from departments across campus, including old computers, monitors, ink and toner cartridges, peripherals, cables, printers, LCD screens, phones, tablets, and other electronic devices. E-waste that is surplus to the University but are still in working condition are occasionally auctioned after being stripped of all data and software, in order to reuse the equipment. Surplus inventory that is not sold or is not in working condition is sent to a local certified electronic recycling company. Central Stores does an annual “spring cleaning” e-waste drive to collect from university departments, and individuals can bring ewaste from their department or home/community origin to the Central Stores facility. In 2015, in collaboration with the Sustainable Campus Initiative, an additional drop-off bin was launched in the Student Life Centre to make collection more convenient for students, which was expanded to the Village 1 residence building and one of the University’s libraries in 2018.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Yes
Optional Fields
---
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.