University of Wisconsin-River Falls
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Basic waste minimization options include: - Waste stream segregation - keep hazardous and non-hazardous wastes clearly separated - Good housekeeping - prevent contamination of good material, control spillage, etc. - Inventory control - keep track of materials to prevent duplicate orders, and generating outdated material - Order chemicals in smaller containers and quantities - Material substitution - where possible use a non-hazardous chemical - Using smaller scale demonstrations - Modifying specific experiments - use a non-hazardous metal in place of mercury, lead, cadmium, etc. - In the case of coal ash, the campus burns a limited amount of each coal annually compared to years past (500 tons in recent years compared to 4500 tons in previous). We work with a local vendor, Dick Godden, on reuse of current coal ash supply.

Various departments across campus produce different types of waste. The Hazardous Waste Program has specific protocol and methods for disposal for each department depending on the type of waste produced. Light bulbs and ballasts are recycled as are all batteries.

Not available due to no incidents.

UWRF has a barcoding system to track chemical inventory. This is managed by the Risk Management Department. MSDS Online is the web-based system that is used to track chemical inventory by location. Lab Managers in the Chemistry, Biology, and Plant and Earth Science Departments have been given administrator rights to the system so they can view and update information as it pertains to their inventory. They can see the inventory between departments in order to redistribute as needed so any over ordering is limited. The campus has completed a 100% inventory of chemicals in order to comply with labeling requirements related to the new Globally Harmonized System of Classification of Chemicals as required by CFR 1910.1200.

First, our IT and Facilities Department work together to refurbish any electronics that can be sold through our surplus property program. The surplus property program offers items for sale on a monthly basis. Any electronic waste that is sent away for recycling is first wiped of all data as applicable, then sent to an electronics recycling company, who perform a second round of data removal if needed. The company refurbishes, re-purposes, or recycles the waste free of charge to the University. The university participates in a program facilitated by the city of River Falls for e-waste collections for students. As part of the program, the city offers two e-waste pickups per year free of charge to residents of River Falls which includes students. Students are able to turn in electronic waste for free by showing their UWRF ID card. The UWRF Office of Sustainability helps promote the program to students through axis TV, Facebook, and Falcon Daily.