The amount of hazardous waste Mississippi State University disposes of has nearly doubled since 2000, according to the Office for Regulatory Compliance. Hazardous waste officer Del Rendon said the increase is a result of more awareness and the growth of the university.
In 2003, MSU shipped for disposal 40,000 pounds of hazardous waste at a cost of about $40,000. In 2000, 25,528 pounds were shipped for disposal at a cost of $12,764. While the numbers have doubled, the cost of disposal has fallen from $2 per pound to $1 per pound.
A facility that generates more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous waste per month, such as MSU, must follow regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. These types of facilities are called large quantity generators, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards.
“RCRA has a list of chemicals that are regulated,” Rendon said. “If the waste isn’t on the list but it meets certain characteristics, we still find them to be hazardous.”
In order for a material to be a hazardous waste, it must first be identified as a “solid waste,” according to the ORC’s hazardous waste guidance manual. A solid waste is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as any solid or containerized liquid or gas that has been used for its intended purpose or is slated for disposal. The guidance manual explains that hazardous waste refers to a solid waste, which is either specifically listed as such by the EPA or exhibits any of the four characteristics (ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity and toxicity) established by the EPA.
The EPA and the Department of Environmental Quality visited the school unexpectedly in March 2002 and imposed a fine of $28,385 for inadequacies varying from the inaccurate labeling of dry cleaning fluids to the storage of some materials for longer than the permitted 90 days.
“This is the stuff we’ve been fixing since then,” Rendon said. “We’ve worked hard to make sure everyone knows what’s going on, through training.”
Now, all individuals who handle hazardous materials must complete an initial training program, followed by annual refresher training, according to the guidance manual. The training is offered either live by the hazardous waste officer or by online training.
“We’re very committed to the law, but I don’t think I could guarantee that we wouldn’t get fined again,” said ORC director Tracy Arwood. “You’re talking about a lot of students and a lot of stuff. It’s about what every person on campus does.”
Audits and open lines of communication help the office monitor the departments to make sure that everyone is complying with regulations.
“Hazardous waste comes from every department on campus,” Rendon said. “For instance, batteries, cleaning agents and paint thinner are classified as hazardous waste.”
In 2003, about 24,000 mercury-vapor lamps, which are commonly used in classrooms, were ordered for recycling at a cost of about $17,000. This number, almost double that of 2000 (12,115 pounds at $8,500) reflects the tremendous growth on campus, Rendon said.
“Swalm wasn’t here three years ago,” he said. “All of the remodeling, the new dorms on campus, are signs that the campus is growing.”
At one time the largest quantity of hazardous waste was fluorescent light bulbs, according to radiological safety officer Terry Coggins. He says that now the majority of materials are flammable solvents.
“We’re working on waste minimization,” Rendon said. “We can do this by minimizing your experiments, making them smaller and using smaller standards.”
Rendon also added that ordering less chemicals and using solvents that are nonflammable would also help reduce hazardous waste. He said that new technologies could help make some chemicals obsolete. For example, digital cameras cancel out the need for silver based fixers used to develop film.
Electronic waste is another contributor to the hazardous waste on campus. Landfills no longer accept this type of waste, so the Office for Regulatory Compliance recycles e-waste through several ongoing efforts. Arwood explained that if a department has a need for a less advanced computer, they will transfer older ones there. Local state agencies are also recipients of the computers.
“If that doesn’t work, there’s a program with the justice system that allows inmates to fix, work on and upgrade the computers,” Arwood said. “If that doesn’t work, we send them to surplus property, where all the extra property is sent.”
Other forms of hazardous waste are sorted and packed in steel or plastic drums. There are a few choices of treatment, such as blending for incineration or mixing it with an acid or base to neutralize it, Rendon explained. The waste is then shipped off by Terrace International, an independent contractor who removes and sends the material to out of state disposal facilities, such as landfills.
“Some materials are reused, though,” Coggins said. “They can be blended together and used for fuel, so it’s essentially recycled as opposed to burning it.”