Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.75
Liaison Enid Cardinal
Submission Date July 29, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Rochester Institute of Technology
OP-21: Hazardous Waste Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Enid Cardinal
Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President
Office of the President
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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

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A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
RIT is always looking for ways to reduce the waste generated on campus. We have reduced hazardous waste generation from 14.7 tons in calendar year 2008 to 8.41 tons in calendar year 2011.Some steps that were taken to obtain this reduction were: Reducing the amount of chemicals used during laboratory experiments and research projects; changing the packaging of our hazardous waste containers going from steel 55-gallon drums to reinforced cardboard boxes; and using larger containers in some satellite accumulation areas to reduce the amount of shipments of certain wastes. The majority of universal wastes generated by RIT are in the form of fluorescent lamps. RIT has begun a process of replacing certain fluorescent lamps with LED lamps which is starting to reduce this waste. RIT has also contracted with Interstate Battery to recycle our lead-acid batteries generated across campus instead of transporting them off campus as universal waste.

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A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
RIT generates waste from various activities across campus. Each waste stream is characterized by a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)- trained employee to determine whether it is hazardous. All hazardous wastes are stored in accordance with applicable RCRA requirements in both Satellite Accumulation Areas and 90-Day Storage Areas. RIT contracts with a hazardous waste vendor, to package our hazardous waste and prepare each package for transportation. RIT utilizes a certified hazardous waste transporter to transport our waste to a Treatment Storage and Disposal Facility(TSDF). RIT undergoes RCRA inspections every two years by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to ensure compliance with hazardous waste regulations. No violations have been identified as a result of these inspections in the past 7 years.

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The website URL where information about hazardous materials management is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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