Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.01
Liaison Paul Mathisen
Submission Date May 23, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Liz Tomaszewski
Facilities Systems Manager/Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Department
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

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:
The Office of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) provides guidelines to reduce and better manage hazardous waste including: keeping an up-to-date inventory of hazardous materials, purchasing only the amount of materials needed, substituting less hazardous chemicals for hazardous ones, and including waste minimization in student and employee training sessions.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
All hazardous wastes material containers must: be secure, in good condition, compatible with the waste; have a screw cap; and be kept closed at all times unless waste is being added. Labels must contain the chemical name, and the appropriate hazard box must be checked. All hazardous waste disposal is managed by the Office of Environmental Health & Safety in accordance with state and federal waste guidelines.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
Incidental chemical spills (less than 100ml’s) occur in WPI labs occasionally. They are managed by trained EHS staff. During the past year of 2016, no significant laboratory spills or releases to the environment have occurred.

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
Currently, WPI does not have a chemical inventory system that would help facilitate chemical reuse.

Part 2 

Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish 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

If yes to either of the above, provide:

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:
Electronic waste that is in good condition is sent to Worcester Technical High School for students to refurbish computers and distribute through the public school system, and unsalvageable computers and peripherals are taken by Metech and are recycled properly. Every spring, WPI holds a free electronics waste drive for the entire community to bring old or broken electronics.

Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Yes

Optional Fields 

Electronic waste recycled or otherwise diverted from the landfill or incinerator during the most recent year for which data is available during the previous three years:
7.20 Tons

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.wpi.edu/offices/safety/laboratory.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.wpi.edu/news/electronics-drive

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.