Remove Hazardous Waste from Your Institution Today

JUNE 28, 2017

Summer vacations are here, which means it’s the perfect time to safely and compliantly dispose of hazardous waste collected throughout the academic year. Colleges and universities, especially those that conduct a significant amount of laboratory research, have vast amounts of hazardous materials on campus.  With the diversity of materials needed in classrooms and to maintain facilities, and the geographic distribution of facilities over a large footprint of a campus—hazardous waste risks could be lurking in the lab and elsewhere.

Violations at colleges and universities happen regularly. In March, Oregon State University was fined $275,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency for multiple violations of federal hazardous waste identification rules. According to news reports and the EPA, “EPA inspectors found nearly 2000 containers of hazardous wastes, in at least six OSU campus laboratories and other buildings that were not properly identified, managed or safely stored, in violation of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Multiple types of hazardous wastes were found, including solvents and other flammable liquids, acids and other caustic, toxic and reactive chemicals, and used oil. In addition, OSU did not have a RCRA permit to manage and store the hazardous wastes.”

In addition, in 2015, EPA fined the University of Missouri at Kansas City almost $33,000 related to its storage and handling of hazardous waste. In 2011, Drew University in Madison, N.J., agreed to pay $145,000 for its own violations.

Like other businesses, these institutions are responsible for providing adequate training to anyone handling those materials or being tasked with disposing of them. Many schools create their own hazardous waste management plan, but choose to rely on a qualified partner when it comes to proper disposal.

From chemicals to lightbulbs, and information destruction, Stericycle has the trained personnel and disposal facilities to assist your organization with:

• Safe removal of expired, used, or unwanted laboratory chemicals
• Removal and recycling lightbulbs, batteries, and mercury-containing items
• Removal of corrosive, flammable, or volatile waste
• Removal of paints, aerosols, oils and cleaning agents
• Secure and compliant data destruction. From paper to electronic data, universities and colleges are obligated to ensure privacy via proper destruction of these sensitive materials.

Click here to find out more about Clean Earth's offerings to manage hazardous waste on campus and help protect students, faculty, staff, visitors and the institution itself.