hazardous waste
Hazardous wastes have perhaps the most obvious environmental and health impacts of all the issues covered in this primer, but these can usually be mitigated with appropriate planning, reduction of waste and the use of alternative products. Universities generally produce hazardous waste from solvents, laboratory chemicals, cleaning products, paints and oil.
Idea starters
- Educate:
- Clearly mark the contents of all containers of hazardous materials.
- Inventory:
- Keep an up-to-date inventory of all hazardous materials.
- Alternatives:
- Substitute less hazardous chemicals when possible.
- Minimize Waste:
- Look for others in your department who could use your unwanted chemicals. Ensure that equipment is geared to produce the least waste possible. Consider reducing the scale of experiments to produce less waste. Train students and staff to conduct experiments in a way that minimizes waste. Treat or destroy all wastes properly after experiments.
In practice
The University of California at Santa Barbara created an adopt-a-chemical program. Departments that have excess chemicals can put them up for 'adoption' by other departments that need them. The school saves money and reduces the generation of hazardous waste.
Resources
- Environmental Virtual Campus
- http://www.c2e2.org/evc/