California State University, Chico
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

CSU Chico employs a holistic approach to hazardous & universal waste minimization as well as reducing the hazards of the materials in use whenever possible. The Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) department encourages purchasing only what is needed for the short term and avoiding the notion of buying in bulk as a cost-saving policy when it comes to chemical purchases. It is all too common for someone to get a "great deal" by buying larger quantities of chemical products and ignoring the resultant risk of having large quantities on hand and the eventual cost of shipping any unwanted and unused chemicals as a hazardous waste. If unwanted and unused chemicals do surface, the EHS department tries to match up the unwanted chemicals from one department with another department that could use them. This happens with laboratory chemicals as well as maintenance products. Paints are one of our most successful reuse items. Unwanted paints are offered for reuse to both our Fine Art department as well as our Scene Shop in the Performing Arts department to make backdrops for stage performances. The next preferred option is to donate unwanted but still usable latex paint to the local Butte County Sheriff's Team of Active Retired Seniors' (STARS) anti-graffiti program. Our next best option is to ship unwanted latex paint for recycling instead of managing it as a hazardous waste as would otherwise be the case in California. Product substitution is an important tool CSU Chico employs whenever possible. We continually seek out opportunities to replace hazardous chemical products with alternatives that work as well but pose fewer hazards to the individual user and to the environment. This is most commonly applied to cleaning and maintenance products including pesticides.

All regulated waste is managed through the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) department. Campus users notify EHS and request a waste pickup periodically. EHS moves those wastes to a central accumulation area. At least every 90 days EHS ships chemical waste offsite with registered hazardous waste haulers.

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The Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) department is notified of unused, unwanted chemical products that might be of use to other departments. If those products are still in original manufacturer’s packaging and the labeling is intact, then, depending on shelf life limitations, those chemicals will be offered to other stockrooms on campus for potential reuse. EHS plays the role of intermediary in these transfers due to their campus-wide knowledge of what chemicals are used in which labs. This program of reuse on campus extends beyond laboratory chemicals to include any unused chemical products (paints, cleaners, batteries, etc.) which would otherwise be considered a hazardous waste.

Management practices for electronic wastes on campus are similar to chemical waste – individual departments that generate electronic wastes contact the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) department to request removal of the waste. EHS moves the waste to a central accumulation point and handles the waste shipment, documentation, and record keeping.