| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.31 |
| Liaison | Lisa Noriega |
| Submission Date | Aug. 3, 2020 |
Yale University
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Lindsay
Crum Chief Manager for Sustainability Operations & Strategic Data Yale Office of Sustainability |
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?:
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
Yale has a written waste minimization plan as required under EPA regulations. Yale's department of Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) has many programs such as use of solvent recycling stills, chemical substitutions for research that result in nonhazardous waste streams, filtration systems that deactivate or neutralize hazardous chemicals during the experiment process as allowed under federal regulations, equipment change out to reduce frequency of chemicals changes (ie, new film processors for pathology) silver recovery systems for non-digital film developers, chemical reuse program and Eli Surplus Exchange that also allows universal waste items to be reused. In addition, Yale donates 12 computer systems to 2 nonprofit agencies each month that otherwise would have been discarded as universal waste. EHS also has registered precious metal recovery and helium recovery systems in use on campus.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
All regulated waste streams are handled by EHS. Waste is collected from generation points on campus, managed in one of our 5 permitted hazardous waste facilities where it is commingled or lab packed as required by disposal requirements. Yale has contracted vendors that then remove the waste from campus and bring it to various Yale approved treatment and disposal facilities. Yale monitors all disposal requirements through transportation, shipping, disposal and required paperwork, and permits for each facility.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
On June 22, 2017 approximately 2,000 gallons of 30% glycol was released from the TAC Building's cooling system in the penthouse. The expansion joint within the 6 story building allowed for the spill to travel through the entire buidling, flooding a majority of the building. No environmental damage occurred.
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
Yale uses Eli Surplus Exchange for laboratory chemical reuse. EHS's hazardous waste online request system through EHS Integrator includes a check box if the chemical that has been requested for pick up is suitable for reuse. EHS can then determine if this is the case and also enter it into the Eli Surplus website. EHS then can keep them labeled as stock chemicals in our waste facilities for up to 1 year by CT recycling laws. If a lab can use the chemical, EHS delivers to them free of charge. Yale also has a chemical inventory system for all labs at West Campus, the Chemistry Department on the Main Campus, Engineering Department and some other laboratories on campus. This allows for greater knowledge of what they have in their lab to reduce duplicate purchasing and encourage sharing amongst researchers.
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
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:
EHS, in partnership with Take2, recycles all used electronics meeting the State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection definition of "Universal Waste."
Student generated waste is considered Yale waste. The dorms will collect CFLs and electronics are brought to the College Master’s office where Take2 can safely remove. There are events on campus where educational information is given out and students can bring their universal waste to be recycled.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous waste program is available:
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.