Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.55
Liaison Susan Powers
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Clarkson University
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 1.00 Erica Arnold
Environmental Health & Safety Manager / Radiation Safety Officer
Human Resources
"---" 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 University's Chemical Hygiene Plan includes details for inventory control and lab decommissioning that are intended to reduce the quantity of hazardous waste generations. Chemistry labs use green chemistry approaches (e.g., small volumes) to reduce waste generation as part of the education of our students. We neutralize acids and bases. We use the MSDS system for inventory and materials compatibility control.

A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The university follows all federal and state regulations for dealing with hazardous and special wastes (sharps, broken glass, and non regulated materials such as used oil). A third-part regulated hauler is contracted to manage hazardous waste. See pp. 47-50 of the University Chemical Hygiene plan for details.

A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
No significant spills. Several minor oil spills were reported to the NYSDEC. Clean up procedure followed state regulations. 2016 04/05/16 - 8 gallons of hydraulic oil due to equipment failure 12/01/16 - 2 gallons of hydraulic oil on soil next to the water tower due to a hydraulic line failure on the toolcat 2017 None 2018 01/09/18 - 20 gallons of hydraulic oil on pavement in CAMP parking lot due to a hydraulic line failure on the front end loader 08/23/18 - 1 gallon of motor oil on soil outside WSV Building #8 due to a blown head gasket on a contractor's lift

A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
MSDS and electronic inventory allows identification of materials available and their internal redistribution

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:
We use First Class Services for electronics. Custodians are altered to electronic waste; the materials are processed by OIT and stored for pick up. We use North Eastern Recycling for lamps, ballasts and batteries. Custodians deliver bulb and ballasts to storage facilities. Drop off buckets for batteries are available in key central facilities (e.g., the student union). When buckets are full, custodians transport batteries to storage before pick up. Our custodial staff is trained to collect e-waste materials and store them in preparation for off-campus pick up. Computers and phones are first ""sanitized"" for sensitive information and relocated to reuse in new locations to the extent feasible. A reputable commercial dealer is used for transport and final disposition of all e-waste to ensure compliance with worker safety and environmental regulations.

Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
No

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:
5.70 Tons

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.