Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.88
Liaison Dedee DeLongpre Johnston
Submission Date June 3, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Wake Forest University
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Stephen Fisenne
Associate Director
Environmental Health and Safety
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Wake Forest University has a progressive Waste Minimization Plan; a key component of the university's hazardous waste management plan is waste minimization. A new chemical inventory system allows for access to the entire campus chemical inventory, allowing for identification of current chemical stocks prior to purchasing. Current year minimization includes diversion of hazardous waste cylinders and carbon to recycling in lieu of disposal. All solvent and flammable wastes not recycled are sent for re-purposing as fuel for cement kilns. All Universal Waste is sent to permitted recycling facilities.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Wake Forest University has a hazardous waste management program whereby all generated waste streams are inventoried, collected, and stored in a Hazardous Waste Storage Area on campus. All waste is properly marked and labeled in approved containers, and segregation of incompatibles is achieved by employment of two distinct hazardous waste storage buildings. Hazardous, universal, and non regulated chemical waste is transported to a US EPA Permitted TSDF. Annual training is provided to all department personnel that generate hazardous waste.

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:
Wake Forest University has adopted an on-line chemical inventory system to ensure an accurate accounting of all chemicals on campus. An integrated bar code label provides a means of quick identification of chemical products, quantities and location. Chemical users are encouraged to utilize the inventory in the EMS prior to purchasing new chemicals.

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish all electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Yes

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
Yes

A brief description of the electronic waste recycling program(s):
E-waste that is generated from operations or faculty/staff is managed through the Information Systems (IS) Department. An on-line request for pick-up of the waste is necessary to notify Information Systems that e-waste is in need of proper disposal or recycling. Once a request has been submitted, IS will contact the owner/requester to schedule the pick-up. IS will collect the e-waste for proper shipment to the recycler. Wake Forest also collects personal (non-university owned and generated) electronic waste for disposal through Goodwill Industries. E-waste receptacles are located centrally around campus. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to place all e-waste (unusable/out-of-date cell phones, CDs, cords, and other electronics) in bins for proper re-use, refurbishing, and/or recycling.

A brief description of steps taken to ensure that e-waste is recycled responsibly, workers’ basic safety is protected, and environmental standards are met:
University owned and generated e-waste is disposed through Synergy Recycling, LLC (http://www.synergyrecycling.com/index.php). Information Systems (IS) at Wake Forest ensures compliance with all health and safety commitments made by Synergy. Personal e-waste is disposed of through Goodwill Industries. Goodwill regularly generates chain-of-custody reports for disposed materials; university staff periodically tour collection facilities to spot-check processes.

The website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
http://sustainability.wfu.edu/programs/waste-reduction-and-recycling/

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.