| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.88 |
| Liaison | Alex Frank |
| Submission Date | April 14, 2022 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Alex
Frank Sustainability Analyst Office of Sustainability |
"---"
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:
In order to promote efficient use of resources, UW-Madison maintains a chemical redistribution program. This program catalogs and indexes surplus chemicals and makes them available, free of charge, to labs on campus. A list of available chemicals is maintained online (https://ehs.wisc.edu/labs-research/chemical-safety/chemical-redistribution/) and faculty or staff simply have to submit a request for use of the surplus materials.
Waste is also minimized by utilizing a system whereby labs dispose of waste into carboys (a rigid storage container, similar to a jug). Carboys are retrieved by the Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) team when full. EH&S then consolidates the waste into drums (for disposal) and the carboys are cleaned and returned to labs. This process is designed to minimize contaminated container waste.
In conjunction with these efforts the EH&S team maintains programs to segregate regulated waste (including oil and mercury) from equipment. These efforts minimize total regulated waste by appropriately disposing and/or recycling the non-contaminated components of equipment.
Waste is also minimized by utilizing a system whereby labs dispose of waste into carboys (a rigid storage container, similar to a jug). Carboys are retrieved by the Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) team when full. EH&S then consolidates the waste into drums (for disposal) and the carboys are cleaned and returned to labs. This process is designed to minimize contaminated container waste.
In conjunction with these efforts the EH&S team maintains programs to segregate regulated waste (including oil and mercury) from equipment. These efforts minimize total regulated waste by appropriately disposing and/or recycling the non-contaminated components of equipment.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The EH&S team at UW-Madison maintains a number of resources to ensure the safe disposal of hazardous waste.
EH&S maintains a recyclopedia (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/recyclopedia/) with information on the appropriate disposal (or recycling) method for a number of hazardous materials, including:
- Aerosols
- Animal bedding
- Appliances
- Art supplies
- Asbestos-containing equipment
- Batteries
- Biological safety cabinets
- Bulbs, lamps, and tubes
- Cleaning products
- Empty chemicals
- Empty drums
- Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides
- Gas cylinders
- Lab trash
- Light ballasts
- Mercury and mercury-containing devices
- Paint and paint-related materials
- Pharmaceuticals
- Radioactive equipment and devices
- Sharps
- Used oil
For items not covered in the recyclopedia, EH&S maintains policies, procedures, and disposal request forms for chemical (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/chemical-disposal/), biological (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/biological-waste-disposal/), animal (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/animal-disposal/), radioactive (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/radiation-disposal/), and sharp (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/sharps-disposal/) waste.
EH&S maintains a recyclopedia (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/recyclopedia/) with information on the appropriate disposal (or recycling) method for a number of hazardous materials, including:
- Aerosols
- Animal bedding
- Appliances
- Art supplies
- Asbestos-containing equipment
- Batteries
- Biological safety cabinets
- Bulbs, lamps, and tubes
- Cleaning products
- Empty chemicals
- Empty drums
- Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides
- Gas cylinders
- Lab trash
- Light ballasts
- Mercury and mercury-containing devices
- Paint and paint-related materials
- Pharmaceuticals
- Radioactive equipment and devices
- Sharps
- Used oil
For items not covered in the recyclopedia, EH&S maintains policies, procedures, and disposal request forms for chemical (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/chemical-disposal/), biological (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/biological-waste-disposal/), animal (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/animal-disposal/), radioactive (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/radiation-disposal/), and sharp (https://ehs.wisc.edu/disposal-services/sharps-disposal/) waste.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
There have been no significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
The chemical retribution program (https://ehs.wisc.edu/labs-research/chemical-safety/chemical-redistribution/) maintains an inventory of available chemicals with the name, amount, manufacturer, and shelf date for the express purpose of encourage redistribution.
UW-Madison does not currently employ a comprehensive inventory system for managing chemicals.
UW-Madison does not currently employ a comprehensive inventory system for managing 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:
UW-Madison utilizes two programs for reusing and recycling electronic waste generated by both the institution and students.
Surplus with a Purpose (SWAP) is the designated agent for reselling and disposing of surplus property generated by UW-Madison and Madison Area State agencies. They maintain an electronics reuse and recycling program that accepts all computers and computer peripherals regardless of age or condition (https://swap.wisc.edu/policy-procedures/#computer-waste-recycling). Individual UW-Madison departments can arrange for the pick-up of electronic waste. SWAP provides sales to departments and the general public and operates an online auction. Items that cannot be repurposed are recycled property, with high standards for electronic sceap vendors that mandate no burying, dumping, or shipping overseas (https://swap.wisc.edu/swap-history-2/).
UW-Madison's Department of Information Technology maintains a central location on campus for faculty, staff, or students to drop-off electronic waste (https://it.wisc.edu/services/electronics-recycling/) including:
- CD drives
- CDs/DVDs
- Computers
- Hard drives
- Monitors
- Power adapters
- Printers
DoIT partners with Universal Recycling Technology, which is e-Stewards certified (http://e-stewards.org/recycler/universal-recycling-technologies/).
Finally, UW-Madison also maintains battery towers for recycling of Nickel Cadmium batteries (Nicads), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and Lithium batteries and specialized pick-up for recycling of Lead Acid batteries (https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=43.072995501085835%2C-89.41403400000002&spn=0.015674%2C0.03768&msa=0&mid=1ixLR1Zh4TzxURA7hRNhf5vToLBA&z=15).
Surplus with a Purpose (SWAP) is the designated agent for reselling and disposing of surplus property generated by UW-Madison and Madison Area State agencies. They maintain an electronics reuse and recycling program that accepts all computers and computer peripherals regardless of age or condition (https://swap.wisc.edu/policy-procedures/#computer-waste-recycling). Individual UW-Madison departments can arrange for the pick-up of electronic waste. SWAP provides sales to departments and the general public and operates an online auction. Items that cannot be repurposed are recycled property, with high standards for electronic sceap vendors that mandate no burying, dumping, or shipping overseas (https://swap.wisc.edu/swap-history-2/).
UW-Madison's Department of Information Technology maintains a central location on campus for faculty, staff, or students to drop-off electronic waste (https://it.wisc.edu/services/electronics-recycling/) including:
- CD drives
- CDs/DVDs
- Computers
- Hard drives
- Monitors
- Power adapters
- Printers
DoIT partners with Universal Recycling Technology, which is e-Stewards certified (http://e-stewards.org/recycler/universal-recycling-technologies/).
Finally, UW-Madison also maintains battery towers for recycling of Nickel Cadmium batteries (Nicads), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), and Lithium batteries and specialized pick-up for recycling of Lead Acid batteries (https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=43.072995501085835%2C-89.41403400000002&spn=0.015674%2C0.03768&msa=0&mid=1ixLR1Zh4TzxURA7hRNhf5vToLBA&z=15).
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:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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