| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.07 |
| Liaison | Breeana Sylvas |
| Submission Date | Feb. 25, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Merced
OP-25: Hazardous Waste Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
None
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
None
A brief description of steps taken to reduce hazardous, special (e.g. coal ash), universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
1. Discussed in lab safety training (minimize waste, don’t mix waste streams unnecessarily, substitute where possible).
2. Oils are recycled (vacuum pump, compressor, etc.) through waste handler and may be distributed to safety kleen if appropriate.
3. EHS uses “green” scintillation fluid for radiation wipe tests done quarterly, but we still send it out to hazardous waste.
4. Unneeded chemicals are used in experimental processes to minimize waste production.
5. Some materials are reacted to render them non-hazardous. For example, liquid bio-hazards are reacted with bleach and sent to the sewer. Acids and basis can be neutralized. Solids can be precipitated to generate a more concentrated waste.
6. Radioactive waste is decayed on site when possible, then thrown in the regular trash when no longer radioactive. (This is only possible for short half-life elements such as P-32 and I-125. We allow them to degrade through 10 half lives, then survey them for radiation. If they have reached background levels, they go in the regular trash.
7. Project to recycle solvents is underway. UC Merced also has an online tool to manage chemical inventory. This allows tracking of what is in the lab so duplicated orders are not placed, as well as the ability to share reagents amongst the labs.
8. Containers not full are combined with other compatible waste.
9. Education regarding what wastes are hazardous and what are not.
None
A brief description of how the institution safely disposes of hazardous, universal, and non-regulated chemical waste:
1. Non-radioactive chemical hazardous waste is sent to Clean Harbors.
2. Radioactive waste is sent to Thomas Grey Associates.
3. Biohazard waste is sent to Stericycle.
None
A brief description of any significant hazardous material release incidents during the previous three years, including volume, impact and response/remediation:
None
None
A brief description of any inventory system employed by the institution to facilitate the reuse or redistribution of laboratory chemicals:
We are using Ecompliance for chemical inventory, rebranded on our campus as the Chemical Inventory System (CIS).
None
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish all electronic waste generated by the institution?:
Yes
None
Does the institution have or participate in a program to responsibly recycle, reuse, and/or refurbish electronic waste generated by students?:
Yes
None
A brief description of the electronic waste recycling program(s):
All electronic waste is collected and inventoried by purchasing. Full pallets of electronic waste are picked by a e-steward certified recycler.
None
A brief description of steps taken to ensure that e-waste is recycled responsibly, workers’ basic safety is protected, and environmental standards are met:
UC Merced only uses E-Steward certified recyclers.
None
The website URL where information about the institution’s hazardous and electronic-waste recycling programs is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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