| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.13 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Drake |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
Swarthmore College
OP-20: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 1.00 |
Aurora
Winslade Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Hazardous waste minimization and disposal
Yes
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
The Environmental Health & Safety Officer promotes a safe living, working, and learning environment for the College community with the help of Facilities Management, Human Resources, Public Safety, student Resident Advisors, as well as students, faculty, and staff.
Environmental Health & Safety encompasses the following:
-Environmental safety (indoor air quality, asbestos/lead paint abatement, and other safety issues)
-Ergonomic assessments
-Safety training for staff, faculty, and students
-Personal protective equipment
-Regulated waste disposal
-Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) compliance
-Incident and insurance claims tracking
Swarthmore recycles portions of its oil waste and e-waste. To do so it hires external professional businesses to collect these types of waste that the College collects.
Environmental Health & Safety encompasses the following:
-Environmental safety (indoor air quality, asbestos/lead paint abatement, and other safety issues)
-Ergonomic assessments
-Safety training for staff, faculty, and students
-Personal protective equipment
-Regulated waste disposal
-Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) compliance
-Incident and insurance claims tracking
Swarthmore recycles portions of its oil waste and e-waste. To do so it hires external professional businesses to collect these types of waste that the College collects.
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
While there is no overall program to reduce chemical (hazardous, universal, etc.) wastes across campus, individual academic departments and the Scott Arboretum work to reduce chemicals that they use and send for waste. Lab chemical reuse systems have been explored, but at low volumes relative to other larger institutions.
For hazardous lab waste, including chemicals and solvents: a professional company, TIER, packs up hazardous equipment and removes during biannual hazardous waste collection. For used oil from campus fleet vehicles and electric transformers, Swarthmore collects the residue and stores it in large tanks for 1x/yr pick up. Oil filters from campus fleet vehicles are drained for twenty-four hours then the empty cans are then put in standard trash while these oils are stored in a tank, different from the aforementioned. Both tanks are collected by SafetyKleen. For batteries there are two collection points on campus where all students can place used batteries. TIER collects these batteries from the College. Car batteries are collected from collected by the College's main waste hauler, Jack-Clark.
For hazardous lab waste, including chemicals and solvents: a professional company, TIER, packs up hazardous equipment and removes during biannual hazardous waste collection. For used oil from campus fleet vehicles and electric transformers, Swarthmore collects the residue and stores it in large tanks for 1x/yr pick up. Oil filters from campus fleet vehicles are drained for twenty-four hours then the empty cans are then put in standard trash while these oils are stored in a tank, different from the aforementioned. Both tanks are collected by SafetyKleen. For batteries there are two collection points on campus where all students can place used batteries. TIER collects these batteries from the College. Car batteries are collected from collected by the College's main waste hauler, Jack-Clark.
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
None
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
None
Part 2. Electronic waste diversion
Yes
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
No
If yes to either of the above, provide:
Students who bring their computers to ITS to be fixed sometimes dispose of them. In that case ITS keeps the computer and recycles it along with the institutionally generated waste. Swarthmore does not specifically promote this service to students.
While there are ongoing sustainability efforts to divert or reduce the College's e-waste, there does not yet exist an ongoing program. In our partnership with Eldredge Inc. Waste Disposal and Recycling Services, grounds staff attempts to accumulate e-scrap and recycle it where possible, but maintains a discretionary operation on their end.
While there are ongoing sustainability efforts to divert or reduce the College's e-waste, there does not yet exist an ongoing program. In our partnership with Eldredge Inc. Waste Disposal and Recycling Services, grounds staff attempts to accumulate e-scrap and recycle it where possible, but maintains a discretionary operation on their end.
Is the institution’s electronic waste recycler certified under the e-Stewards and/or Responsible Recycling (R2) standards?:
Yes
Optional Fields
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
For more information, contact Kelly Fitzpatrick (kfitzpa1@swarthmore.edu) and Virginia Schiffer (jschiff1@swarthmore.edu).
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.