Hazardous Waste Management in Higher Ed: Save Time and Money

Hazardous Waste
Management
in Higher Ed
Uncovering Opportunities to
Save Time and Money

Meet Your Moderator:
James Ciccone

During this Webinar
 All lines will be muted – please communicate via
the questions tab in your webinar panel.
 There will be live, interactive polling.
 There will be a Q&A session at the end of the
presentation – submit your question(s) anytime
throughout the webinar.
 Stick around for an exclusive offer at the end of
the webinar.

Meet Your Presenters
Melanie Magnan
Regional Director of Higher Ed - New England
mmagnan@triumvirate.com
Nikki Young
Southeast Higher Ed Program Manager
nyoung@triumvirate.com

Our Key Message
How to use regulations and waste
minimization options to improve your waste
management process and achieve
organizational goals.

Who Is This For?
Schools looking to
minimize waste generation
Current provider does
not offer waste
minimization options
Schools looking to reduce
waste disposal costs
Innovative strategies
for managing waste
from cradle to grave
Schools looking for better
waste tracking systems
In need of customized
software

What Will You Learn?
• Use the regulations to your advantage to
reduce costs
• Elevate your hazardous waste storage
areas to meet budget constraints
• Implement a tracking program to manage
potentially energizing and other time-
sensitive chemicals
• Work with researchers upstream to manage
waste in a more cost-effective and
sustainable manner
• Conduct accurate waste inventories in the
MAA to streamline disposal
• Utilize compliance and waste tracking
software to improve efficiency, save time
and eliminate confusion

Agenda
Upstream Waste Management
Waste Regulations & Storage
Waste Minimization & Disposal
Compliance and Waste Tracking Software
Case Studies
Summary/Q&A

Poll Question
Which department’s
waste generation
challenges you the
most?

Work With Researchers Upstream
1) Know how the waste is
generated
2) Educate researchers on
proper waste collection
techniques
3) Discuss chemical
substitution
4) Manage time sensitive
chemicals

Know How the Waste is
Generated
• Determine if the waste container is the appropriate size for the
process
• Determine if the waste bottle is made from one process
• Use your understanding of waste code applicability/definitions to
make hazardous waste determinations
• For machine generated waste, are there multiple lines going into the
same waste container? Can any of those be separated?
• Understand the timeline of the process/research. This helps with
limiting inventory volumes as well as with managing disposal costs.

Educate Generators on Proper
Waste Collection Techniques
• Are the chemicals compatible in the
waste container? Do they present a
new hazard?
• Can some of the chemicals be
disposed of using different treatment
techniques for cost savings?
• Understanding local wastewater
discharge regulations

Discuss Chemical Substitution
• Is there a chemical that is less harmful to the environment and oneself?
• Chemical disposal is diverted to a less costly waste stream/disposal
option, e.g. sink disposal or solid trash
Examples of substitutions:
• Alcohol thermometers instead of mercury thermometers
• Sybr safe gel stain instead of ethidium bromide
Other Considerations:
• Historic knowledge to recreate the research requires specific chemicals
• Timeframe of project may inhibit such a substitution
• Funding may not approve if there is a substitution

Managing Time Sensitive Chemicals
• Identify the people using time sensitive chemicals
• Educate the individuals regarding the hazards
associated with expired energetic compounds
• Set up a tracking system for the expiration dates
and managing inventory
• Dispose of the materials prior to expiration, or
improperly stored, to avoid calling a high hazard
team
• Overall costs will be much lower as a result

• Regulations allow for storage
options – use them to your
advantage
• While they may seem strict
and daunting, regulations can
help you reduce waste
disposal costs and improve
logistical efforts
Background on
Regulations

Using Regulations
to Your Advantage
• The common misconception is that you
can only ship 2,200 pounds a month to
remain a small quantity generator
• In actuality, you can only produce 2,200
pounds of hazardous waste a month (or
2.2 pounds of P-listed waste)
• Regulations for a SQG allow for 180
day storage limit, so essentially you can
ship out 13,200 pounds of Hazardous
waste and remain in the SQG category

Setting Up a Storage Area
• Any area of your facility can be used to
store hazardous waste
• Delineation tape or fencing can be
placed anywhere in a facility
• Required signage can be posted
• Spill decks and other spill
countermeasures can be installed
• Alternatives are outdoor storage areas
• Spill prevention and ventilation are
already installed

Will Storage Save You Costs?
• By storing your waste longer as the regulations
allow, you reduce the number of times a truck
is coming to your facility
• If you have the ability to find a storage area
within your facility, and can store waste longer,
the overall cost per drum will decrease as well
• Determine which drums should be shipped
based on:
 Generator status (accumulation time)
 Full drums
 Energetic material/compounds

Real-World Example #1
Large university campus with multiple MAAs, centralizing
some of the most expensive chemicals wastes can lead to
savings.
Results:
• Instead of weekly, switched to monthly shipments to achieve
$43,000 annual savings
• Relocation of supplies in another MAA led to $26,000 in annual
savings
• Mercury and reactive consolidation led to almost $40,000 in cost
savings

Real-World Example #2
• A large public school was shipping waste monthly for
disposal, the work was taking one entire day to complete
and was costing the school over $15,000 per shipment
• The school decided to only dispose of full containers and
waste that had reached its storage limit
• The school reduced its waste budget by over 40%
• The school maintains the inventory for the MAA using
software to provide regulators with the information regarding
the waste remaining in the MAA

Poll Question
What is your greatest
challenge when it comes
to disposing of your
hazardous waste?

What Is a Waste
Minimization Assessment?
• An analysis of every waste stream
produced
• Waste is followed through its entire
journey, both upstream and downstream
• The goal is to identify different waste
options and whether co-mingled waste
can be separated for more efficient and
less costly disposal
• By completing a waste minimization
assessment you can identify how each
waste is generated, collected, stored and
shipped

Conduct Accurate Waste Inventories
in the MAA
• Label waste properly when it enters the
MAA, including a waste determination and
the date the material enters the MAA
• Document exact quantities of P-listed waste,
many schools do not generate over 2.2
pounds per month
• Ship only the waste that is required by the
regulators
• Ship only full containers
• Maintain records of the waste inventories in
the MAA for the regulatory agencies

Create a Proper Waste Analysis
• Collect accurate data regarding the constituents and percentages in each
waste stream
• Understand the processes that create each waste stream, i.e. if a P-listed or
U-listed waste has gone through a process, it no longer requires the EPA
waste code
• Segregate non-hazardous/non-regulated materials from hazardous wastes,
including state hazardous waste codes:
Non-hazardous materials are not subject to the storage limitations set by the school’s
generator status
Non-hazardous materials can be disposed of using cheaper methods
Non-hazardous materials do not count when calculating the hazardous waste volumes each
month

Co-mingle Similar Waste Streams
• Determine volumes of similar wastes
• Determine the disposal methods of similar wastes
• Determine the EPA waste codes of similar waste streams
• Consolidate or co-mingle similar waste streams into the appropriate size
container:
 Use the most appropriate size container for consolidation
 Do not mix wastes that will be treated in different manners
 Do not add acutely toxic wastes to co-mingled waste streams

• Manifests, LDRs and packing slips can be
uploaded into the software and tracked through its
waste disposal journey
• Software provides a calendar with dates and e-
mail notifications, i.e. when manifests are due to
the state or other local authorities
• Track waste inventory from SAA to MAA
• Produce waste generation reports by manifest,
profile, building, PI, etc.
• You can also upload inspection sheets for MAA
and SAA locations and track compliance and
other regulation related issues
Why Use Software?

Software Benefits
• Most software offers easy input of related
forms and documents; very easy to
navigate
• The program has an app and can be
accessed anywhere internet is available
• Reports can be sent to e-mail automatically
• PDF and Microsoft documents can be
directly uploaded and manifests and other
shipping documents can be scanned
directly in as well

Example
There are many software
options out there – Triumvirate
developed its own system
called ADVISE.
ADVISE
Inspections
Manifests/
Profiles
Inventory
Documents
Messages
Compliance
Calendar

Case Study #1
• A large marine research institution was generating 55 gallons a month of
low-percentage nitric and hydrochloric acid (5%) in seawater.
• The waste only exhibited the D002 corrosive characteristic code and,
therefore, was a prime candidate to perform elementary neutralization.
• The waste was generated in 5 gallon carboys in the labs. For safety and
compliance, Triumvirate worked with the Institution to design an
elementary neutralization unit at the wastewater treatment plant.
• At this unit, Triumvirate pours the acid into the holding tank which is then
pumped by the pH machine, mixed with a potassium hydroxide base and
neutralized for discharge.
• Since this program began in 2009, the Institution has saved over $50,000
in acid disposal costs.

Case Study #2
• A smaller school had been using ether in many classroom experiments.
• One bottle of ether that was supposed to be disposed of, began reacting
violently causing the school to call a high hazard team.
• Final costs from that project exceeded $10,000.
• The school instated a program to monitor and control the number of time
sensitive compounds on campus.
• The school also began using alternate solvents when possible to make the
campus a safer environment for the students, faculty and the neighborhood.
• The school now spends less than $500 per year to dispose of time sensitive
chemicals.

Case Study #3
• A large public school was shipping waste quarterly for disposal.
• The work was taking two days to complete and was costing the
school over $25,000 per shipment.
• The school decided to use one Triumvirate employee on-site for
waste consolidation and inspections.
• The school began shipping waste monthly to take advantage of
the storage regulations.
• The school reduced its waste budget by over 60% and has been
able to redistribute many unused chemicals to different
departments on campus.

Summary
Understand how your waste is generated at the
point of generation.
Given the regulations, understand what
opportunities exist for waste minimization and
cost reduction.
Maintain accurate records to ensure proper
storage and disposal.

Thank You For
Attending!
Request a Free Waste Assessment:
http://info.triumvirate.com/waste-assessment-web
Call Us!
1-888-834-9697
www.triumvirate.comMelanie Magnan:
mmagnan@triumvirate.com
Nikki Young:
nyoung@triumvirate.com
Contact:

Hazardous Waste Management in Higher Ed: Save Time and Money

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to Hazardous Waste Management in Higher Ed: Save Time and Money

Similar to Hazardous Waste Management in Higher Ed: Save Time and Money (20)

More from Triumvirate Environmental

More from Triumvirate Environmental (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Hazardous Waste Management in Higher Ed: Save Time and Money