DOCUMENT RESUME ED 328 969 EA 022 674 TITLE Guides to Pollution Prevention: Research and Educational Institutions. INSTITUTION Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH. Office of Research and Development. REPORT NO EPA/625/7-90/010 PUB DATE Jun 90 NOTE 56p. FJB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Environmental Standards; Government Publications; Guidelines; *Hazardow Materials; High Schools; Laboratory Procedures; *Pollution; Postsecondary Education; *Prevention; Recycling; *Schools; Science Laboratories; *Waste Disposal; *Wastes; Worksheets ABSTRACT This guide provides an overview of waste generating processes and operations that occur in educational or research institutions and presents options for minimizing waste generation through source reduction and recycling. A broad spectrum of waste chemicals in laboratories, art studios, print shops, maintenance, and other operations can be generated from these institutions, and while the total waste quantities are small, the variety of wastes is considerable. Reducing the generation of these wastes at the source, or recycling the wastes on or off site, will benefit research and educational institutions by reducing disposal costs and lowering the liabilities associated with hazardous waste disposal. The worksheets and the list of waste minimization options were developed through assessments of three research and educational institutions in the Los Angeles, Califorlia, area: (1) a small, private liberal arts college; (2) a large university; and (3) a technical research institute. Appendices contain case studies of waste generation and waste minimization practices of the three institutions studied, and sources of useful technical and regulatory information. (MLF) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made frma the original document. ***********************************************************************
Transcript
DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 328 969 EA 022 674
TITLE Guides to Pollution Prevention: Research andEducational Institutions.
INSTITUTION Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH.Office of Research and Development.
REPORT NO EPA/625/7-90/010PUB DATE Jun 90NOTE 56p.
FJB TYPE Guides - Non-Classroom Use (055) -- Tests/EvaluationInstruments (160)
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Environmental Standards; Government Publications;
ABSTRACTThis guide provides an overview of waste generating
processes and operations that occur in educational or researchinstitutions and presents options for minimizing waste generationthrough source reduction and recycling. A broad spectrum of wastechemicals in laboratories, art studios, print shops, maintenance, andother operations can be generated from these institutions, and whilethe total waste quantities are small, the variety of wastes isconsiderable. Reducing the generation of these wastes at the source,or recycling the wastes on or off site, will benefit research andeducational institutions by reducing disposal costs and lowering theliabilities associated with hazardous waste disposal. The worksheetsand the list of waste minimization options were developed throughassessments of three research and educational institutions in the LosAngeles, Califorlia, area: (1) a small, private liberal arts college;(2) a large university; and (3) a technical research institute.Appendices contain case studies of waste generation and wasteminimization practices of the three institutions studied, and sourcesof useful technical and regulatory information. (MLF)
United States Risk Reduction Engineering LaboratoryEnvironmental Protection Center for Environmental Research InformationAgency Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
ENV625/7-901010June 1990
Technology Transfer
SFEPA Guides to PollutionPreventionResearch and EducationalInstitutions
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BES7 COPY AVAILABLE
U.S. DEPARTNEW or eourArroNonco Eaucatrenat Research and improvemenrEDucAPONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
^ENTER (ERIC!
document has been reproduced esrecended from the person or organitahonoriginating it
C Minor ChltigeS have bean made to 011Proveqtproduction duality
Points at view or opinions stated in doctrment do not necessarily represent otticrieOERI 00eition or
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EPA/625/7-90/010June 1990
GUIDES TO POLLUTION PREVENTION : RESEARCH ANDEDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
RISK REDUCIION ENGINEERING LABORATORYAND
CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INFORMATIONOFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCYCINCINNATI, OHIO 45268
NOTICE
This guide has been subjected to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's peer andadministrative review and approved for publication. Approval does not signifythat the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial productsconstitute endorsement or recommendation for use. This document is intended asadvisory guidance only to research and educational institutions in developingapproaches for pollution prevention. Compliance with environmental andoccupational safety and health laws is the responsibility of each individual businessand is not the focus of this document.
Work sheets are provided for conducting waste minimization assessments ofeducational and research institutions. Users are encouraged to duplicate portionsof this publication as needed to implement a waste minimization program.
FOREWORD
This guide provides an overview of waste generating processes and operationswhich occur in educational or research institutions and presents options forminimizing waste generation through source reduction and recycling. A broadspectmm of waste chemicals in laboratories, art studios, print shops, maintenance,and other operations can be generated from these institutions, and while the totalwaste quantities are small, the variety of wastes is considerable.
Reducing the generation of these wastes at the source, or recycling the wastes onor off site, will benefit research and educational institutions by reduc, g disposalcosts and lowering the liabilities associated with hazardous waste disposal.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This guide is based in part on waste minimization assessments conducted by RalphStone and Co. for the California Department of Health Services (DHS). Contributorsto these assessments include: David Leu, Benjamin Fries, Kim Wilhelm, and JanRadimsky of the Alternative Technology Section of DHS. Jacobs EngineeringGroup Inc. edited and developed this version of the waste minimization assessmentguide, under subcontract to Radian corporation (USEPA Contract 68-02-4286).
Lisa M. Brown of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Researchand Development, Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory, was the project officerresponsible for the preparation ana review of this document. Other contributors andreviewers include: Dennis Veith, Delco Systems; and Ross Grayson, University ofCalifornia at Santa Barbara.
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CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
Notice ii
Foreword ill
Acknowledgments iv
1. Introduction 1
2. Research and Educational Institution Profile 5
3. Waste Minimization Options for Research and Educational Institutions 9
4. Guidelines for Using the Worksheets 15
References 27
Appendix A:
Waste Audit of a Large University 28
Appendix B:
Waste Audit of a Research Institute 37
Appendix C:
Waste Audit of a Small College 41
Appendix D:
Where to Get Help: Further Information on Pollution Prevention 44
SECTION 1INTRODUCTION
Reduction of pollutant emissions associated with re-search and educational activities is an important objectiveconsistent with national environmental policy. More sig-nificantly, however, the adoption of waste minimizationby the research and educational community carries with ita tremendous potential for desi g n ing poll ution out of futureindustrial processes right in the lab. Waste minimizationawareness can also be instilled and propagated by educa-tional institutions, so that today's students and tomorrow'sprofessionals can apply pollution prevention in their en-deavors. Hence, the importance of instituting pollutionprevention within research and educational organizationscannot be overstated.
This guide was prepared to provide resexch andeducational institutions with guidelines and options tominimize hazardous wastes. TheseOptions and procedurescan also be used in efforts to minimize all wastes generatedat a facility. The guide is intended primarily for use byresearch and development laboratories and graduate andundergraduate educational institutions that conduct iesearchor teaching activities which employ hazardous materials.Others who may find this document useful include highschools, community colleges, and vocational institutions,as well as industrial laboratories, regulatory agencies, andconsulting organizations.
The worksheets and the list of waste minimizationoptions were developed through assessments of three re-search and educational institutions in the Los Angeles area.Thee ffort was commissioned by the California Departmentof Health Services (Calif, DFIS 1988). The institutionsconsisted of:
A small, private liberal arts college;A large university; andA technical research institute.
Their operations, research and teaching activities, andwaste generation and management practices were surveyed.Existing and potential waste minimization options werecharacterized.
In the following scctio;;s of this manual you will find:
An overview of research and educationalinstiattions and the hazaMous chemicals they
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employ (Section Two);Waste minimization options for research andeducational institutions (Section Three);Waste Minimization Assessment Guidelinesand Worksheets (Section Four)Appendices, containing:- Case studies of waste generation and waste
minimization practices of the threeinstitutions studied; and
- Where toget help: Sources of useful technicaland regulatory information.
To provide the reader with general background in-formation, the next subsection will present an overview ofwaste minimization goals and opportunity assessments.
Overview of Waste Minimization Goals andOpportunity Assessments
Waste minimization is a policy specifically mandatedby the U.F. Congress in the 1984 Hazardous and SolidWastes Amendments to the Resource Conservation andRecovery Act (RCRA). As the federal agency responsiblefor implementing RCR A. the U.S Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) has an interest in ensuring that newmethods and approaches are developed tor minimizinghazardous waste and that such information is made availableto the institutions concerned, ThI. guide is One 01 theapproaches EPA is truing to provide institution-specificinformation about hazardous IA astc minimization. Theoptions and procedures outlined can also be used in effortsto minimize other wastes generated in a tacky.
EPA has also developed a general waste minimizationmanual for use by industry. The Waste Mthimization Op-portunity Assessment Manual (USEPA 198S) tells how toconduct a waste minimization assessment and developoptions for reducing waste generation at a facility. It
explains the management strategies needed to incorporatewaste minimization into organizational policies andstructures, how to establish an institution-wide wasteminimization program, conduct assessments, implementoptions, and make the program an on-gong one. .Theelements of waste minimization opportunity assessmentare explained below.
In the working definition used by EPA, waste minimi-zation consists of source reduction and recycling. Of thetwo approaches, source reduction is usually consideredpreferable to recycling from an environmental perspective.
A Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment(WMOA), sometimes called a waste minimization audit, isa systematic procedure for identifying ways to reduce oreliminate waste. The steps involved in conducting a wasteminimization assessment are outlined in Figure 1 andpresented in more detail in the next paragraphs. Briefly, theassessment consists of a careful review of an institution'soperations and waste streams and the selection of specificareas to assess. After a particular waste stream or area isestablished as the WMOA focus, a number of options withthe potential to m in imize waste are developed and screened.The technical and economic feasibility of the selectedoptions are then evaluated. Finally, the most promisingoptions are selected for implementation.
Research and educational institutions have differentwaste management problems than most industrial wastegenerators and different resources available to deal withthem. 1n addition, the management structures of researchand educational institutions often do not lend themselves tothe more centralized dec ision making and direction typicalof business management. While decentralization mayfacilitate academic independence, a dmentralized approachto hazardous waste management poses nearly insur-mountable obstacles to those responsible for tracking andassuring the proper disposal of hazardous wastes. Decen-tralization also diffuses management commitment -- anessential ingredient in successful waste minimizationprop ams -- to many separate departments, further com-plicating the already complex problem of identifying andcontrolling hazardous material streams within an institu-tion.
ASSESSMENT PROCESS
The four phases of a waste minimization assessmentare planning and organization, assessment phase, feasibilityanalysis phase, and implementation. Each of these phasesis discussed below.
Planning and Organization
Essential elements of planning and organization for awaste minimization program are:
Getting management and administrationcommitment for the program;Setting waste minimization goals; andOrganizing an assessment program task force.
The importance of getting top level managementcommitment to a waste minimization program cannot beoverestimated.
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Assessment Phase
The assessment phase involves a number of steps:
Collect activity and facility dataSelect and prioritize assessment targetsSelect assessment teamReview data and inspect laboratories and wastehandling facilitiesGenerate waste minimization optionsScreen and select options for further study
Collect data on sources and quantities of wasi., *,'n-eration. The waste streams at an institution should beclearly identified and succinctly characterized. Sincewaste streams and volumes are highly variable, a rev iew oflong term records is the best source of information, if suchrecords exist in a format and in sufficient detail thatprovides useful information. Information about wastestreams may be avai lable on purchase orders or requisitions;hazardous waste manifests; lab pack packing lists; fromsampling programs and other possible sources.
A basic understanding of the activities that generatewaste at an institution is essential to the WMOA process.Activity inventories should be prepared to identify thesources, quantity, types, and rates of waste generation.Also, preparing material balances for various activities canbe useful in developing estimates of overall waste generationand emissions that may have been unaccounted for previ-ously. Research and educational institutions may find thisdata collection phase to be difficult due to lack of com-prehensive and detailed records and the irregular nature ofresearch and teaching activities where chemicals used andquantities of waste generated change from one time periodto the next. It may be useful tc identify the larger andrelatively predictable waste streams first and focus onthem. The institution may find it highly beneficial toconduct a preliminary waste minimization opportunityassessment prior to commencing a research or teachingprogram which would generate wastes in order to identifyopportunities for waste minimization specific to that pro-gram.
Prioritize and select assessment targets. Ideally, allwaste streams in an institution should be evaluated forpotential waste minimization opportunities. With limitedresources, however, it may be necessary to concentratewaste minimization efforts in one or two specific areas.Such considerations as quantity of waste generated,probability of success, hazardous properties of the waste,regulations, safety of employees, economics, and othercharacteristics need to be evaluated in prioritizing targetwaste streams.
Figure 1. The Waste Minimization Assessment ProcedureThe Recognized Need to Minimize Waste
PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION
Get management commitmentSet overall assessment program goalsOrganize assessment program task force
Assessment Oeganization &Commitment to Proceed
ASSESSMENT PHASE
Collect process and facility dataPrioritize and select assessment targetsSelect people for assessment teamsReview data and inspect siteGtnerate optionsScreen and select options for further study
Assessment Report ofSelected Optima
FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS PHASE
Uchnical evaluationEconomic evaluationSelect options for Implementation
Final Report, IncludingRecommended Options
IMPLEMENTATION
Justify projects and obtain fundingInstallation (equipment)Implementation (procedure)
Select assessment team. The team should includepeople with direct responsibility for and knowledge of theactivities generating the waste stream.
Review data and inspect laboratories and wastehandling areas. The assessment team first evaluates dataon the research or teaching activities in advance of theinspection. The inspection should follow the target activitiesfrom the point where input materials are received, throughthe activities generating the wastes, to the points wherewastes leave. Waste generating activities may includelaboratory experiments and demonstrations, includingresidues from unsuccessful experiments; art studios andphotography laboratories; maintenance operations; andstorage areas for raw materials and wastes both in thelaboratories and at other locations within the institution.The inspection may result in the formation of preliminaryconclusions about waste minimization opportunities. Fullconfirmation of these conclusions may require additionaldata collection, analysis, or site visits.
Generate options. The objective of this step is togenerate a comprehensi ve set of waste minimization optionsfor further consideration. Since technical and economicconcerns will be considered in the later feasibility step, nooptions arc ruled out at this time. Information from the site
Ispection, as well as from chemical suppliers, technicaland trade literature, equipment vendors, governmentagencies, con:;ultants, researchers and technicians mayserve as sources of ideas for waste minimization options,
Both source reduction and rec ycling options should becon sidered, Source reduction may be accomplished through:
Good operating practicesReducing the scale of laboratory experimentsEliminating usc of carcinogenic chemicals suchas benzene and chloroformIncreasing use of instrumentationEliminating use of oil based paints inmaintenanceImproving inventory control utilizingcomputerized tracking and inventory systems.
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Recycling opportunities may include:
Establishing an internal recycling programwhere unused reagents are stored cenaally andmade available to all usersTo the extent possible, recycling wastes fromone activity to another.
Screen and select options for further study. Thisscreening process is intended to select the most promisingoptions for full technical and economic feasibility study.Through either an informal review or a quantitative deci-sion-making process, options that appear marginal, im-practical or inferior are eliminated from consideration.
Feasibility Analysis
An option must be shown to be technically and eco-nomically feasible in order to merit serious considerationfor adoption by an institution. A technical evaluationdetermines whether a proposed option will work in aspecific application. Both activities and equip= -a oroperating changes need to be assessed for their overalleffects on waste quantity.
An economic cvaluation is carried out using standardmeasures of profitability, such as payback period, return oninvestment, and net present value. As in any project, thecost elements of a waste minimization project can bebroken down into capital costs and operating costs. Costsavings and changes in revenue need also to be considered.For options that are technically feasible but are not initiallyshown to be cost effective, consideration of benefits tosociety (e.g., teaching of a waste minimization ethic tostudents) should be considered as well.
Implementation
An option that passes both technical and economicfeasibility reviews should then be implemented at aninstitution. It is then up to the WMOA team, with man-agement support, to continue the process of tracking wastesand identifying further opportunities for waste minimiza-tion throughout a facility by way of periodic reassessments.Either the ongoing reassessments or an initial investigationof waste minimization opportunities can be conductedusing this manual.
SECT'ON 2RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION PROFILE
The U S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)has estimau. i that the total amount of hazardous wastegenerated by .esearch/educational institutions is from 2,000to 4,000 metric tons per year (USEPA 1987). This is lessthan one percent of the national total of hazardous Wastegenerated annually. While the total waste generated issmall, the variety of wastes is considerable. These wastesare generated at literally thousands of institutions locatedthroughout the country. For example, in 1988 there was anestimated total of 3,406 higher level educational institutionsin the United States, pais over 101,000 primary and sec-ondary schools (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1989).
WASTE GENERATION
Hazardous waste generation at educational and researchinstitutions contrasts with that of most industrial genera-tors. Industrial generators typically have a few largevolume waste streams. Educational and research institu-tions, however, use small amounts of a broad spectrum ofchemicals. The waste generated consists of small quantitiesof a wide diversity of materials. This difference requiresresearch and educational insLitutions to employ uniquewaste reduction strategies.
For example, the University of Illinois disposed of7300 containers holding more than 2,100 differentchemicals and mixtures in 1984. The University of Ma.s-sachusetts, Amherst disposes of approximately 2,000 dif-ferent chemicals and mixtures each year. The size ofcontainers containing wastes prior to shipment rangesfrom 55-gallon drums to a single ampoule (Sanders 1986).
Laboratory wastes are typically generated in quanti-ties of less than one gallon per occurrence. Research-related waste streams include inorganic acids and bases,organic solvents, metals, unused chemicals, reactionproducts from experiments, and some photographic waste.Waste oil is also generated in many laboratories wherevacuum pumps and other rotating equipment is utilized.
Research laboratories typically generate more wastethan teaching laboratories. Chemistry departments tend tobe the largest hazardous waste generators of the teachinglaboratories. Other departments with laboratories are
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geology, physics, psychology, and engineering.
Art, printing, photography, and institution mainte-nance also generate hazardous waste. Art waste includespaints, thinners, other solvents, and heavy metals. Printingoperations generate waste ink and solvents. Photographicprocessing generate.; waste silver and rinsing and develop-ing solutions. Maintenance operations generate waste oils,vehicle maintenance waste, solvents, pesticides, watertreatment chemicals, PCB oil from old transformers, possibly asbestos, and small quantities of other wastes.
Secondary and vocational schools also generatechemical waste. In secondary schools waste is generatedin science laboratories, arts and shop classes, and in vo-cational programs (USEPA 1987). Table 1 shows typicalwaste generation in secondary schools.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Disposal in lab packs is the most common disposalpractice. Waste oils and solvents may he accumulated in55 gallon drums. In lab packs, small bottles, vials, cans,and other containers of waste, segregated by coinpatihilitof contents, are packaged in drums with absorbent cush-ioning sufficient to protect against breakage and to absorbliquids in the event of leakage. This procedure is requiredby the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) for labpacks. The drums may then shipped to a Class I landtill toidisposal or to an incineration or recycling facility. Theupcoming restriction on land disposal of many hatardouschemicals commonly disposed of in lab packs will provideinstitutions with strong incentives to implement wast;reduction strategies.
Three waste audit studies were conductcl for theCalifornia Deparunent of Health Services in preparing thismanual. They included a large state university, a smallprivate college, and a research institute. These studies,described in the appendices, found that the two largerinstitutions had established waste management programs.The EPA also found that campuses with large researchprograms have extensive waste management programs(USEPA 1987).
The historical reason for this is that large institutionshave needed formal programs addressing disposal of ra-
dioactive and special-hazard chemical wastes. When hazardous waste control laws and regulations were imple-mented in the early 1970's, the existing programs wereexpanded to deal with the collection of all regulated wastes.The need to keep disposal and liability costs down were keyincentives for establishing waste management programs.Safety concerns have resulted in elimination of manycarcinogenic compounds from institutional use.
The waste audit studies also found that educationalinstitutions that are part of a statewide system may havemore difficulty implementing and expanding hazardouswaste management programs. This is attributable to themany levels of administrative bureaucracy that controlpolicy and funding decisions regarding all aspects of
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institutional management. Strong local campus manage-ment commitment may overcome this bureaucratic im-pediment.
Regulatory agencies have not, until recently, enforcedenvironmental and safety regulations at secondary schools.As a -result, little or no effort on the part of the school districtadministrators was put into hazardous material manage-ment. The EPA found (USEPA 1987) that several schooldistricts studied had no budget at all for dealing withhazardous materials. EPA researchers encountered someschool administrators who had no interest in developing awaste management program. Awareness is beginningincrease as a result of the recent right-to-know laws.
Table 1. High School Course Hazardous Waste GenerationPercentage of Schools
Courses Likely to Offering Courses Types of Wastes ThatGenerate Hazardous Waste 1983' icier Are Potentially Hazardous
Trades and industry 24.0 94.0Graphic Arts 3.1 3.2 Inks, solventsPrinting/Lithography 1.9 10.3Textile/Leather Products 1.3 10.3 DyesBody and Fender Mechanics
preservativesWoodworking 1st year 4.0Woodworking-Advanced 3.9 4.3Machine Shop 7.0 17.7 Stripping and cleaning solutions, platingSheet Metal 1.8 bath residues, acids, bases, metal dustMetalworking 1.2 0.7Welding and Cutting 5.7Cosmetology 5.1 18.5 Various chemicals
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Table 1. High School Course Hazardous Waste Generation (Continued)
Percentage of SchoolsCourses Likely to Offering Courses Types of Wastes ThatGenerate Hazardous Waste 1983a 1982b Ars Potentially Hazardous
HEALTH COURSES;
Aliied Health 20.6 Various chemicals and pharmaceuticalsLaboratory/Chemical Technology 4.5Nursing 11.7
°Based on survey of 7,850 out of 15,306 schools.°Based on survey of 941 out of 15,667 schools.Source: A Trend of High School Offerings and Enrollment: 1972-1973 and 1981-1982, Evaluation Tech. Inc. under
contract 300-83-0114 with DOE.
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SECTION 3WASTE MINIMIZATION OPTIONS FOR
RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
In the institutional audits conducted for the CaliforniaDepartment o f Health Services, numerous hazardous wastereduction strategies were identified. Technolical ad-vances have reduced the amounts of chemicals r.:quired forqualitative and quantitative analyses. For example, instru-mental analysis uses one-tenth to one-hundredth the vol-ume typically used in wet chemistry techniques. Thesewaste reduction strategies have decreased chemical usageby as much as tenfold. Many of these could be imple-mented at high schools and vocational training schools.
In addition, gandard waste minimization practices,such as replacing oil-based paints, reducing disposal ofunused or out-of-date materials (paints, pesticides, chemi-cals, etc.), controlling inventories, and improving wastetracking systems are all applicable to the research andeducational institution environment. The waste minimiza-tion options available can he classified into threc generalgroups for further discussion. These waste reductionmethods are improved material management practices,improved laboratory practices, and improved practices inother departments. A list ot appropriate methods is shownin Table 2.
Better operating practices are procedural or institu-tional policies that result in a reduction of waste. Theyinclude:
Waste stream segregationPersonnel practices- Management initiatives- Employee training
Employee incentivesProcedural measures- Documentation- Material handling and storage- Material tracking and inventory control- SchedulingLoss prevention practices
Better operating practices apply to all waste streams.In addition, specific better operating practices that apply tocertain waste streams are identified in the appropriatesections that follow.
Improved Material Management PracticesTwo federally funded research laboratories, Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore,California and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) inOak Ridge, Tennessee have extensive waste minimizationprograms. At LLNL, a study completed by Bechtel(Bechtel National, Inc. 1986) will be used to establishwaste minimization programs for the four largest hazardous waste generators: plating shops, experimental cir e itboard manufacturing, nuclear chemistry, and general plant.At ORNL, an institution-wide program has becn imple-mented which commits ORNL management to "the re-duction of hazardous waste generation and minimizationof generated waste to reduce impacts on human health andthe environment." Economically practical waste minimi-zation techniques, including waste abatement, recycling,good housekeeping, and in-plant treatment are beingimplemented (Barkenbus 1987).
During 1983-84, ORNL generated 200,000 pounds 01hazardous waste each year. To reduce this amount theHazardous Waste Minimization Program includes thefollowing components (Barkenbus 1987):
Identify all waste streams, review and makerecommendations fm procedural modifications,provide incentive mechanisms for new ideas/procedures, and information exchangeEstablish effective planning and procurementpracticesSet goals to meet quantitative reduction levelsEstablish a baseline with which to comparewaste minimization progrcAsPrioritize possible wast.! treatment optionsaccording to cost and era, ironmental problemsDevelop waste reduction/elimination plans foreach waste streamAssess economic, technical, lnd regulato!'yfeasibility of plans andImplement those plans that meet costibenef:tgoals.
Table 2. Waste Minimization Methods for Research and Educational InstitutionsCategory Waste Minimization Methods
improved Material ManagementPractices
Improved Laboratory Practices
Improved Practices in OtherDepartments
Establish a centralized purchasing program.Order reagent chemicals in exact amounts.Encourage chemical suppliers to becomeresponsible partners (e.g.. accept outdated supplies).Establish an inventory control program thatcan trace.chemical from cradle to grave.Rotate chemical stock.Develop a running inventory of unused chemicals foruse by other departments.Centralize waste management. Appoint a safety/wastemanagement officer for each department.Educate staff on the benefits of waste minimization.Establish waste minimization goals.Perform routine self-audits.
Scale down the volumes of chemicals used in laboratoryexperiments.Increase use of instrumentation.Reduce or eliminate the use of highly toxic chemicals inlaboratory experiments.Proweigh chemicals for undergraduate use.Reuse/recycle spent solvents.Recover metal from catalyst.Treat or destroy hazardous waste products as the laststep in experiments.Keep individual hazardous waste streams segregated,segregafe hazardous waste from nonhazardous waste,segregate recyclable waste from non-recyclable waste.Assure that the identity of all chemicals and wastes isclearly marked on all containers.Investigate mercury recovery and recyclingwith an outside vendor.
Replace oil-based paints with water-based paints in artinstruction and maintenance operations.
Modify paint-spraying techniques.Reduce generation of pesticide waste.Collect waste oil and solvents for recycling.Use biodegradable aqueous or detergent cleaners.Investigate sliver recovery or recycling with an outsidevendor for photoprocessing wastes.Provide training in hazardous waste managementpractices for students in art and photography coursesand facilities management/maintenance personnel.
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While many institutions may not have an adequatelevel of funding to perform all of the steps included in theabove program, there are a number of low-cost optionswhich can be employed to reduce chemical usage anddisposal costs. These options are discussed below:
A centralized purchasing program should beestablished. This program should monitorrequests for chemicals, and implement policies.These policies would include staggereddeliveries, sharing of chemicals betweencommon users, arranging with instructors andinvestigators to purchase part of their request ifthe quantities seem excessi. e, and arrange forpartial shipment with the remainder shipped onan as-needed basis (US EPA 1987). The programshould include plans for leftover chemicals.Order reagent chemicals in exact amounts to beused. Do not order extra chemical quantities totake advantage of unit cost savings. The netsavings will be lost due to eventual disposalcosts if the chemical is not used (AmericanChemical Society 1985).Encouraging chemical suppliers to becomeresponsible parin?,rs in a waste minimizationprogram by ordering chemicals from supplierswho will prov ide quick delivery of small orders,will accept return of unopened stock, and arewilling to offer off-site waste managementoutlets or cooperatives for laboratory wastes.Establish an inventory control program whichcan trace chemical usage from cradle to grave.This will promote sharing of c hemicals betweencommon users, provide data on who is usingextremely hazardous chemicals, identify whothe high volume users are, locate where cachesof unused reagents are, and delineate wherewaste reduction option s need to be implemented.Reagent chemicals having remaining shelf-lifecan be monitored for approaching expiration.The inventory can be computerized or kept ona card filing system.Rotate chemical stocks using chemicals beforetheir shelf life expires (first-in-first-out stockusage).Develop a running inventory of unused reagentchemicals for use by other laboratories orfaculty. The inventory control program shouldextend to all laboratories, including that ofindividual professors.Appoint or hire a safety/waste managementofficer for each department, or for the entireschool if it is a small institution. Centralizingwaste management into one position will
facilitate a coordinated and efficientimplementation ofregulations, institution policyand waste reduction goals. The officer shoulddevelop a waste reduction training program forfaculty, students, and staff.Educate professors, students and staff on thebenefits of waste reduction. This should includeinstruction or specific techniques for reducingwaste generation.Establish annual pas for institution-wide anddepartmental waste, reduction. First determinepast yearly totals of waste generation, thenassess economic and technical feasibility forestablishing and achieving specific reductiongoals.Provide routine self-audits for laboratories ofprofessors, students, and staff to minimizereagent accumulation and maximiz.e recycling.
Education on waste minimization opportunities canenhance efforts to reduce the volume of waste generated.This can occur through departmental meetings, memos,and seminars. Information communicated should includewhy reduction is important and available Opportunities forreduction. The major generating departments should havea training program for all faculty and staff who maygenerate or handle hazardous materials. Special trainingshould be held for procurement staff to make them awareof thc exit costs of unused chemicals.
Implementing an institution-wide program allows fora coordinated approach to addressing each area or de-partment generating waste. The program should be pri-oritized by addressing campus-wide generation first, thenchemistry. biology, other science departments, art, pho-tography, arid maintenance functions. An overall hazardouswaste management decision tree diagram is presented inFigure 2.
Improved Laboratory PracticesLaboratories are responsible for the largest variety of
wastes, even if the individual volumes are not large.Chemistry generally generates the most hazardous waste,followed by biology and other departments (materialsscience, chemical engineering, physics, geology, etc.) andby the other activities noted above. Faculty, researchers,and students in departments which generate hazardouswastes often do not know requirements for proper disposalof wastes they handle and may not even be aware of thehazards posed by some of the chemicals in regular use. Oldpractices die hard. Wastes from chemistry experimentsmay still be poured down the sink and end up in the sewer.Forgotten chemicals and used or unused reagents may beleft in unmarked test tubes, beakers, vials, or bottles, losing
1t
Establish an office (for large campus)or appoint a person (for smallinstitutions0 to supervise campushazardous waste managemnet.
Is there an office/pe, onresponsible for supervisinghazardous waste managementon campus?
Yes
Responsibilities will Include:- develop waste reduction program- coorchnate segregation, collection,
and pick-up of hazardous waste- Inform all persons which wastes
are to be segregated and collected- provide proper containers and
labels for waste segregation andcollecti
- imple 4ndsupervisesafotyprocedure for waste managemnet
A cenbalized hazardous storage area isnecessary because it proevents buildupof waste chemicals in laboratories or otherareas, allows close oversight of wastestorage, and allows for easy implementationof storage safety measures.
IExpand responsibility of office toinclude all of the items listed in box orleft?
No IDoes this person/office perform eachof the items fisted in box on the left?
4.
Hire additional staff
No
Increase budget for hazardousmaterials management program
411
Are there enough personnelto carry out all necessaryresponsibilities
Is there sufficient funding toOP provide adequate collection
containers, training materials,and other necessary rnateriaals/equipment?
le! Yes
1111
Is there a centralizedNohazardous waste storage areafor the campus?
This area should have the following:- sealed concrete floor with berms- adequate ventilation- fire extinguisher and emeergency phone- security and daily inspections- allows for segregation of incompatiable
wastessupply of spill cleanup absortant andtools
NO
Mocifying storage area, so that itconforms with the box on the left.
Figure 2,. Hazardous waste Management Decision Tree Diagram
9
Does the waste storagearea conform with thebox on the left?
HAZARDOUS WASTEMANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Is now adequate=116
their identity and becoming "unknowns" which requireexpensive re-identification prior to disposal.
Practices that can reduce laboratory waste generationinclude the following:
Scale down the voltanes ofchemicals used in laboratoryexperiments. Using smaller volumes of chemicals inteaching laboratories has reduced waste generation. Fiveyears ago at the university, undergraduate laboratory ex-periments were performed using 50 to 500 ml of reactants.Last year volumes were reduced to 10 to 100 ml. This yearthe experiments will use 1 to 10 ml. At the college allexperiments are performed with one fourth the volumestated in the laboratory manuals.
Professor Dana at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine.has developed a microscale organic laboratory course.Students perform laboratory experiments using one hun-dredth to one thousandth the volume of starting materialtypically used. Using such small volumes has the followingadvantages: reduction in chemical usage and waste gen-eration, decreased hazard of fire and explosion, and reducedconcentration of harmful organic vapors in laboratory air(Rawls 1984). Another facility that has developed acomplete microseale laboratory course for its ChemicalTechnology Program is the St. Paul Technical Institute(Bridges et al. 1989).
Increase use of instrumentation, Instrumenta-tion in laboratories has increased in recent years. Instru-mental analysis only requires minute quantities for quan-titative determinations as opposed to more traditional wetchemistry techniques. Chemical usage has been reducedten to one-hundred-fold as a result. In chemistry, NuclearMagnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis requires a 1 mlsample for quantitative analysis. Entire chemical reactionscan be performed in an NMR tube which holds under 5 mlof reactants/products. Other common instruments used arechromatography (gas, high pressure liquid, thin layer,other types), mass spectrophotometry, atomic absorption,photoionization detectors, ion probes, X-ray diffractionanalyzers, IR and UV spectrophotometers, magnetic bal-ances, and others.
Substitute less hazardous chemicals inexperiments. For example: substitute sodiumhypochlorite for sodium dichromate; use alcoholfor benzene; substitute cyclohexane for carbontetrachloride in the standard qualitative test forhalide ions; stearic acid can replace acetamidein phase change and freezing point depressionexperiments; and use 1,1,1-trichloroethaneinstead of carbon tetrachloride and/orchloroform. A number of laboratories are usingdetergents, potassium hydroxide, or sonic baths
13
as substitutes for the chromic acid solutionsused to clean glassware (Bridges et al. 1989).
Pre-weigh chemicals for undergraduate usage.This will reduce spills and other wastesgenerated by students performing their ownweighing. It will also increase laboratoryproductivity by reducing lab time per student.
When cleaning with solvents reuse the spentsolvent for the initial cleaning and use freshsolvent only for the final rinsing. This reusewill decrease the amount of reagent solventused (USEPA 1987).
Segregate solvents in a closed top drum andrecycle.
Distill and reuse solvents for classroomexperiments or as thinners and degreasers bythe maintenance department. Low cost solventsti Ils are available in a variety of sizes, includinghigh quality fractional distillation units. Chec kwith fire and worker safety regulations regardi nguse of on-site solvent distillation.
Platinum, palladium, and rhodium contained incatalysts can be recovered using chemicalprocedures specific to the particular metals.Segregation of these wastes for of f-si te rec ycling
may be preferable.
Investigate if unused reagent chemicals andtheir containers can be returned to themanufacturer. Sealed bottles of stable chemicalsmay be resalable by the supplier.
Destroy wastes as the final step in experiments.This will reduce the need for off-site disposal.If done in undergraduate laboratories it willdevelop in students an awareness of properwaste management and waste reduction.Numerous chemical wastes can be destroyed asa final step in experiments. See PrudentPractices for Disposal of Chemicals fromLaboratories, National Research Council, 1983,for information.
Provide a designated facility for waste storage,segregation and treatment. This area should beventilated contain a safety shower and eyewash, have sealed bermed floors and anemergency telephone.
Keep individual waste streams segregated.- Keep hazardous waste segregated from
nonhazardous waste. All wastecontaminated with a ha zardous substancebecomes hazardous.
- Keep recyclable waste segregated from
non-recyclable waste.Minirmze dilution of haiardous waste.
Ensure that the identity of all chemicals andwastes is clearly marked on all containers.When researchers leave an institution, theyoften leave laboratory chemicals behind. Theseinclude unused reagent chemicals, unlabeledcontainers, and an assortment of mixtures andsolutions. Unlabeled containers present aparticularly troublesome waste managementproblem since unidentified w aft/CS cannot legallybe shipped for disposal and analysis is verycostly.
Improved Practices in Other DepartmentsAs noted above, departments and actil 'ties at colleges
and universities besides those with scientific laboratoriesalso generate hazardous wastes. These include art andphotography departments, printing shops, and facilitiesand vehicle maintenance operations. Research institutionsoften have campuses where grounds maintenance, build-ing maintenance, and vehicle servicing may generatehazardous wastes as well.
While not producing the variety of wastes generated inlaboratories, these departments and acti v ities can contributesubstantially to the volumes of hazardous wastes requiringdisposal. Waste streams from att departments includepaints, thinners, other solvents, and heavy metals (in paintpigments). Printing operations generate waste inks andsolvents. Photographic processing generates waste silver.developer, fixer, and rinsing solutions. Maintenance op-erations generate waste oils, vehicle maintenance waste,solvents, pesticides. water treatment chemicals, PCB oilfrom old transformers, possibly asbestos, and smallquantities of other wastes.
Opportunities to minimize wastes in these activitiesinclude:
Replace oil-based paints with water-based paintsin art instruction and maintenance operations.Non-tox ic (sol vent, lead, an d chrome free) paintsshould be used where-ever possible.
Modify spray-painting techniques to reducepaint waste. Set the correct air pressure for thespray gun and use the following strokingtec hnique: 1) overlap the spray pattern by 50%,2) maintain a distance of 6 to 8 inches from theworkpiece, 3) hold the gun perpendicular to thesurface, and 4) trigger the gun at the beginningand end of each stroke. (USEPA 1987).
Reduce generation of pesticide waste byreducing pesticide application, using non-
chemical pest control methods, and preparingand using only the required minimum quantityof pesticide for the job. investigate the use ofirrigation injection of pesticides through thesprinkler system (with back flow protection),or the use of dry pesticides that are spread on thegrounds and watered into the ground. Thispractice will eliminate the need for pesticidespraying operations and the resultingcontaminated washwater.
Collect waste oil and solvents for recycling.Segregate recyclable oils and solvents fromnon-recyclable wastes. Spent degreasingsolvents can be recycled on site using smallbatch stills. Contractual agreements can beentered into with companies that supply freshsolvents and remove and recover the usablefraction of spent solvents.
Use biodegradable aqueous or detergentcleaners in place of more hazardous and toxicsolvents.
Investigate silver recovery or recycling with anoutside vendor for photoprocessing wastes.
Investigate mercury recovery with an outsidevendor for I iquid mere ury obtained from brokenthermometers, barometers, switches, andmercury found in sink traps.Provide training in hazardous wastemanagement practices for students indepartments/courses that generate waste andfac i ties managemen t/ma in Lena nc e personnel.
14 r
SECTION 4GUIDELINES FOR USING THE
WASTE MINIMIZATION ASSESSMENT WORKSHEETS
Waste mlnimization assessments conducted at threedifferent resmrch or educational institutions were used todevelop the waste minimization questionnaire andworksheets that are provided in the following section.
A comprehensive waste minimization assessmentincludes a planning and organizational step, an assessmentstep that includes gathering background data and infor-mation, a feasibility study on specific waste minimizationoptions, and an implementation phase.
Conducting Your Own AssessmentThe worksheets provided in this section are intended
to assist research and educational institutions in system-atically evaluating waste generating processes and inidentifying waste minimization opportunities. Theseworksheets include only the assessment phase of the pro-cedure described in EPA's Waste Minimization Opportu-nity Assessment Manual. For a full description of wasteminimization assessment procedures, refer to the EPAManual.
Table 3 lists the worksheets that are provided in thissection.
Table 3. List of Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment WorksheetsNumber Title Description
1. Waste Generation: General questionnaire regarding wasteQuationnaire generation patterns and practices.
2. Waste Generation: Porn, for documenting wastes generatedInternal Manifest by each department.
3. Waste Management: Questionnaire on general waste managementLaboratories practices for each laboratory.
S. Option Generation: Waste minimization options regarding goodScience Departments operating practices, material handling,
and laboratory practices.
6. Waste Minimization: Waste minimization options for Art,Other Departments Theater Arts, Scenery Shop, Printing, and
Maintenance Shop.
7. Option Generation: Waste minimization options for Art,Other Departments Theater Arts, Scenery Shop, Printing, and
Maintenance Shop.
Firm Waste Minimization Assessment Prepared By
Site Checked By
Date Proj. No. Sheet of Page of
WORKSHEET
1WASTE GENERATION:
Questionnaire
Are facility-wide material balances routinely performed?Are they performed for eacranatenal of concern (e.g. solvent) separately?Are records kept of indQual wastes with their sources of origin and eventual disposal?
(This can aid in pinpointing large waste streams and focus reuse efforts.)
Having this type of data is important for the following reasons:- the data define the scope of waste generation for the entire campus and for
each department;
realistic waste reduction goals can be established
specific generators can be targeted for waste reduction; and
costs for proper waste management can be determined.
if answer is No: It is recommended that methods for quantifying the waste generated for theentire campus and for each department be implemented. If adequate waste generation dataare not available, establish an internal manifest system to be completed by each wastegenerator. An example of an internal manifest can be found on Worksheet 2. These formsshould be kept on file and if possible, stored on a computer data base. Quarterly and yearlytotals for hazardous waste generation can easily be determined using these manifests.
yes
73 yes
73 yes
If answer is Yes: Establish campus-wide and departmental waste reduction goals. Settingspecific goals provides an incentive to meet established goals. A committee should establishgoals. Such committee should be made up of petsonnel tiom the campus environmental/safety office, administration, and professorsanstructors from each waste generating depart-ment. Reduction goals should range from a 3% to 10% per year. The committee should
meet quarterly to assess orogresS in aelieving goals.
-1 no
no
1 no
17
Firm Waste
Proj.
Minimization Assassmant
No.
Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
BySite _Date of Page of
WORKSHEET
2WASTE GENERATION:
Internal Manifest
Complete all information
Department___Person Completing
requested
Manifest
below. Do not leave any space or column empty (except Other Comments column)
Phone No.
DateneraGe ted
Chemical Ouantity
S.
Gas, Liq Solid Hazard Other Comments
--1
Contact the campus Hazardous Waste Coordinator atwhen manifest Is completed and/or wastes need to be picked up.
18
; f;
Firm Waste Minimization Assessment
Proj. No.
Prepared By _
Checked By ._
Sheet of Page or
_Site
Date
WORKSHEET
3WASTE MANAGEMENT:
, Laboratoriez
This section is to be completed by thethat use chemicals in laboratories. Each
Department person in charge of chemicalChairman of the department:; .ial number of laboratories in department:Number of research laboratories:Number of undergraduate teaching laboratories:Number of chemical storage (stock) rooms:Number of professors in the department:Subdivisions within the department (i.c.organic chemistry, analytical chemistry,
chemistry, biology, geology, physiology, physics, and any other denartmentsquestion below is to be completed for each department:
storage/stock rooms: ____ _____ . - _.. ...... .
for chemistry department: general chemistry,etc )
.
___ _ ._ .._
._...
_
Rank the subdivisions from the highest to the lowest for quantity of waste generated
. _..._____........
How are chemicals purchased within the department?
Is there an oversight mechanism capable of monitoring all purchases of chemicals7
Describe tne current method of maintaining an active inventory of chemicals in stock:
Who in the department maintains Materiai Safety Data Sheet ..aDS) files?
How are wastes currently collected for disposal within the departmerr ?
Note. If you have trouble answering any of the above questions, investigate to find the answers. Th.) answers willassist in implementing waste reduCtion opportunities.
19
""
Firm Waste Minimization Assessmnt
Prof. No.
Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
Site By
Date of Rage of--------____,....--,WORKSHEET
4AWASTE MANAGEMENT:Science Departments
,
The following checklist should be completed by each professor/instructor who supervises student laboratory exer-cises. supervises a research laboratory, or any staff peison involved with handling chemicals including chemicalstockroom supervisor, solutions preparation, technical supervision.
Department
Name of Person Completing this Checklist
A. GOOD OPERATING PRACTICESAre all affected personnel provided withAre regularly scheduled training programsAre there employee/student incentive programsDoes the facility have an established wasteIf yes, is a specific person assigned to
Discuss the goals of the program and results:
Title
detailed operating manuals or instruction sets? 7 yes 7 norelated to waste minimization? 7 yes 7 no
offered to all personnel? 7 yes 7 nominimization program in place? 7 yes D no
oversee the success of the program? 7 yes 7 no
Has a waste minimization assessment been performed at the facility in the past? If yes, discuss'
B. MATERIALS HANDLINGHas a centralized purchasing programDoes the current program adequately preventSince a significant portion of laboratoryis it possible to purchase smaller quantitiesIs it possible to increase the amount ofThis would reduce the amount of surplus
Is obsolete raw material returned to theIs inventory used in first-in, first-out order?Is the inventory system computerized?
Does the current inventory control system
What information does the system track?
been established? 7 yes 7 nothe generation of waste due to over-purchasing? 7 yes 7 no
waste is actually surpius reagent chemicals,of reagent chemicals? n ) .3 D no
sharing of chemicals between research laboratories? 7 yes 7 Dochemicals that require disposal.
supplier? D yes 7 no7 yes 7 noD yes n no
adequately prevent waste generation? D yes 7 no
20
Firm Waste Minimization Assessment
Proj. No.
Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
Site By
._...._..
Date of Page of_
WORKSHEET
4BWASTE MANAGEMENT:
,Science Departments
Is there a formal personnel and studentprevention, proper storage techniques,Does the program include information
and packages received?How often is training given and by whom?
training program on raw material handling, spill D yesand waste handling procedures? TI yes
on the safe handling of the types of drums, containersD yes
7 no-1 no
1 no
-Inc
71 no
71 no
71 no
7 no
71 no
7 no
D no71 no
71 no
71 no
TI no
71 no
71 no
71 no
..
C. LABORATORY PRACTICESIs it possible to reduce the volumes of reactants used in certain laboratory experiments
without affecting the desired results? J yesInstrumental methods use significantly smaller quantities of chemicals than wet chemistrymethods. Is it possible to increase the use of instrumental analyses for selected experiments? TI yes
Is it possible to substitute less hazardous chemicals in certain laboratory experiments such as:using sodium hypochloride for wdium dichromate, alcohols instead of benzene, cyclohexane
for carbon tetrachloride, steahc acid for acetoamide, and any other potential substitutes? TI yes
ls it possible to substitute specialty detergents for chromic/sulfuric acid for cleaning glassware? D yesFor certain undergraduate laboratory exercises, is it possible to pre-weigh chemical reactantsfor students? This would eliminate chemical waste due to spillage during weighing 71 yes
and transfer operations, by students.If solvents are used for cleaning, is counter current cleaning possible? (Using spent solvent for D yesinitial cleaning and fresh solvent only for the final cleaning.)This decreases the amount of reagent solvent used.Is a solvent sink used? If not, could one be used? :D yes
Can solvent waste be redistilled and reused for classroom experiments or as thinners Or de-
greasers by the maintenance deparlment? II yesif onsite solvent distillailon is done, does it comply with fire and worker safety regulations? TI yes
Are many different solvents used for cleaning? D yes
If too many small-volume sotvent waste streams are generated to iustify on-site distillation,
can the solvent used for cleaning be standardized? D yes
Are all chemicals containers property labeled? a yes
Are all wastes properly segregated? D yes
Has off-site reuse of wastes through Waste Exchange services been considered? D yes
Or reuse through commercial brokerage firms? D yes
If describe results:yes,
Can waste chemicals be destroyed, neutralized or treated to reduce hazards as the final step of
selected laboratory classwork and research experiments? D yes
IIIIII
73 no
21
9
inst. Waste Minimization
Proc. Unit/Oper.
Proj. No.
Assessment Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
Site By
Date of Page of
WORKSHEET
5A,
OPTION GENERATION:Science Departments ,
Meeting format (e.g., brainstorming, nominal group technique)
Meeting Coordinator
Meeting Participants
Suggested Waste Minimization Options CurrentlyDone Y/N7 Rationale/Remarks on Option
A. Good Operating Practices
Establish waste minimization policy
Set goals for source reduction
Set goals for recycling
Conduct annual assessments
Provide operating manuals/instructions
Employee/student training
Increased supervision
Provide employee/student incentives
B. Materials Handling
Centralize purchasing
Purchase smaller quantities
Share surplus chemicals
Return material to supplier
Minimize inventory
Computerize inventory
Formal training
22
Inst. Waste Minimization
Proc. UnitiOper,
Proj. No.
Assessment Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
Site By
of Page ofDate
WORKSHEET
5BOPTION GENERATION:
, Science Departments
Meeting format (e.g., brainstorming, nominal group lechnique)_____
Meeting Coordinator
_____ _
Meeting Participants.
Suggested Waste Minimization Options Current!Done Y ? RationaleiRemarks on Option
C. Laboratory Practices
Scale down experiments_. 4
Increase instrument use
Eliminate toxic chemical use,
Pre-weigh chemicals
Standardize solvents & recycle
Properly label containers,
Segregate wastes4
Recycle through waste exchange
As final step, treat waste
,
1
_
23
1A
Firm _ Waste Minimization Assessment Prepared By
Site Checked Sy
Date Proj. No, Sheet of Page of
WORKSHEET
6AWASTE MANAGEMENT:
Other Departments
A. ART, THEATER ARTS, SCENERY SHOP, AND PRINTINGIs it possible to significantly reduce or eliminate use of oil-based paints?When spray painting, is it possible to use the following techniques toreduce the amount of paint used?
employ high transfer efficiency guns?overlap the spraying pattern by 50%?maintain a distance of 6 to 8 inchas from the work piece?hold the gun perpendicular to the surlace?trigger the gun at the beginning and end of each stroke?
Use fully enclosed gun cleaning stations?Reuse clean-up solvent as thinner in next compatible batch of paint?Hazardous chemicals are used in art department subdivisions includingsilk screening, metal work, and sculpture. Is it possible to reduce or make substitutions for
specific hazardous chemicals in any of these areas?
If yes, discuss'
D yes nO
D yesD yesD yesD yesD yesD yesD yesD yes
11 no
no
1 noID no71 no
no
=I no
3 no
D yes -1 no
Certain photoprocessing cleaning chemicals are hazardous (e.g. chromic acid). Is it
possible to substitute less hazardous cleaning compounds?In photographic processing is there currently a silver recovery unit in place to recover silver
salts in the waste water?If there is no silver recovery unit, is it possible to install one?Is off-site recovery feasible?In pottery making or other related woric, is it possible to eliminate use of lead glazes?
D yes Tino
D yesD yes
yes
D yes
no
O noD no71 no
B. MAINTENANCE SHOPIs it possible to eliminate use of oil-based paints and replace with water-based paints? D yes :I no
Is it possible to standardize oils used for many kinds of machinery? D yes 'D no
Can water-based cutting fluids be used in place of oil-based fluids? 3 yes D no
Does the facility have a proper coolant management program in place? 0 yes D no
Can hazardous solvent degreasers be replaced by alkaline degreasers or less
hazardous solvent degreasers? TI yes D no
If a vapor degreasing unit iS used,is it always covered when not in use to reduce loss of sotvent
to the atmosphere? 0 yes D no
When using a vapor degreasing unit, are the parts rotated before removal to allow condensedsolvent to return to the degreasing unit? C3 yes , 7 no
Is it possible to restrict the number of parts that must be degreased to only those parts that
badly need degreasing rather than routinely degreasing all parts? D yes 7 no
24
Firm Waste Minimization Assessment Prepared By
Site Checked By
Date Proj, No Sheet of Page of
WORKSHEET
6BWASTE MANAGEMENT:
Other Departments
B. MAINTENANCE SHOP (CONT.)To conserve use of reagent solvents, can dirty solvent be used for initial cleaning, and freshsolvent used for final cleaning? 7 yes -] noIs a solvent sink being used? If not, could one be used? -1 yes 1 noIs a bench-top still appropriate? If one is being used, does it comply with fire and worker 13 yes
safety regulations? yes 7 noWhen spray painting, is it possible to use the following techniques to reducethe amount of paint used?
- overlap the spraying pattern by 50% 7 yes Ti no
maintain a distance of 6 to 8 inches from the work piece- hold the gun perpendicular to the surface- trigger the gun at the beginning and end of each stroke? 11 yes 1 no
For pesticide spraying equipment, can the generation of pesticide contaminated rinse waterbe reduced or eliminated? This can be done by saving and using the rinse water for makeup .73 yes -.I no
of the next pesticide application solution.To reduce or eliminate the need for spraying pesticides :an either of the following beimplemented:
- irrigation injection where the pesticide formulation is injected directly into thesprinkler/irrigation system at a controlled rate and with adequate backfiowprevention devices yes 1 no
spread pesticides in the dry powder fon and then water them into the ground? J yes 1 noFor spent fluorescent terms and mercury recovered Wm lab sink traps has an outside vendorbeen contacted to investigate the feastillty of recovering mercury? -1 yes 1 noDiscuss any other methods used to minimize waste:
25
Inst. Waste Minimization
Proc. Linit/Oper
Proj. No.
Assessment Prepared
Checked
Sheet
By
Site By
Date ________________ ._________. of Page of
WORKSHEET
7,
OPTION GENERATION:, Other Departments .
Meeting fomiat (.g., brainstorming, nominal group technique)
Meeting Coordinator
Meeting Participants
Suggested Wasto Minimiution Options Current!Done Y ? RationsietRemarts on Option
A. Art, Theater Arts, Scenery Shop, and Printing
Eliminate oil-based paint use
Proper spray paint techniqueS4
,
Enclosed spray gun cleaning
Reuse clean-up solventi
Use less hazardous cleaners
Recover photographic silver
Eliminate use of lead-based glaze
B. Maintenance Shop..,
Eliminate oil-based paint use
Proper splay paint techniques._._
Standardize machine oil
Use water-based cutting fluids
Proper coolant management program
Replace solvent degreasers
Keep degreaser covered
Operate degreaser property
Recycle pesticide rinse water
Use dry pesticide or irrigation injection
Recover mercury
26
REFERENCESAmerican Chemical Society, Department of Government
Relations and Science Policy. 1985. Less Is Better.Prepared by the Task Force on RCRA,
American Chemical Society, Department of GovernmentRelations and Science Policy. 1981-1984. Forums onHazardous Waste Management at AcademicInstitutions.
Assembly Office of Research for the State of California.May 1987. Hazardous Waste Audits, Turning PollutionInto Profits. Publication No. 0174-A.
Barkertbus, V.L. Turner. January 1987. HazardousWaste Minimization Program, Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory, Department of EnvironmentalManagement, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL/TM-10313.
Bechtel National, Inc.. November 26, 1986. WasteMinimization Study for the Lawrence LivermoreNational Laboratory. LLNL S ubcontrac t No. 9148205.
Bridges, J.S., C.A. McComas, T. Foecke, and L. Swain.1989. Results from a Cooperative Federal, State, andTrade Association Waste Minimization ResearchProgram. Hazardous Waste & Hazardous Materials.Volume 6, Number 1 1989. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,Publishers.
Calif. DHS. August 1988. "Waste Audit Study: Researchand Educauonal Institutions." Report prepared byRalph Stone and Co. Inc., Los Angeles, California, forthe California Department of Health Services,Alternative Technology Section, Toxic SubstancesControl Division.
Fromm, C.H., A. Bachrach, M.S. Callahan. December1986. Overview ot Waste Minimization Issues,Appi oac hes and Techniques. Presented at Air PollutionControl Association Conference on Performance andCosts of Alternatives to Land Disposal of HazardousWaste. New Orleans, LA.
Lorton, G.A., C.H. Fromm, H.M. Freeman. December1987. Waste Minimization Assessments, A Step-by-Step Procedure, Presented at HazMat/West'87Conference and Exhibition. Long Beach, CA,December 2, 1987.
National Research Council. 1983. Prudent Practices forDisposal of Chemicals from Laboratories. NationalAcademy Press.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection andU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. November17, 1987. Hazardous Waste Reduction AuditWorkshop, Proceedings.
North Carolina Pollution Prevention Pays Program.September 1986. Management Strategies andTechnologies for the Minimization of Chemical Wastesfrom Laboratories.
Pine, S.H.. February 1984. Chemical Management, AMethod for Waste Reduction, Journal of ChemicalEducation. Vol. 61, Page A 95.
Rawls, R.. February 6, 1984. Micmscale Organic LabCourse Has Many Assets, Chemical and EngineeringNews, Page 22-21.
Rice, S.C. October 24, 1988. Minimizing Wastes FromR&D Activities. Chemical Engineering. Pg 85-88.
Sanders, H.J.. 1986. Hazardous Waste in Academic Labs.Chemical and Engineering News. 64:21-31.
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. June1987. From Pollution to Prevention: A ProgressReport on Waste Reduction. Special Report, OTA-ITE-347. Washington, D.C., US Government PrintingOffice.
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment.September 1986. Serious Reduction of HazardousWaste: For Pollution Prevention and IndustrialEfficiency. OTA-ITE-317, Washington, D.C., U.S.Government Printing Office.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. July 9-11, 1980.Madison Seminar: Waste Management in Universitiesand Colleges. EPA/905/9-81/001.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of SolidWaste. September 30, 1987. Draft Report: ProblemsAssociated with Management of Hazardous Wastesfrom Educational Institutions.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1988. WasteMinimization Opportunity Assessment Manual.Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory,Cincinnati, Ohio, EPA/625/7-88/003.
27
APPENDIX AWASTE AUDIT OF A LARGE
UNIVERSITY
A large university was audited to determine the extentof hazardous waste generation and investigate reductionopportunities. The university has a large graduate programand teaching hospital. There are over two thousand teachingand graduate laboratories on campus.
Hazardous Waste Management OverviewA formal waste management program was in exist-
ence for five years. The program is carried out by thecampus safety office. They are responsible for collectionof hazardous waste, spill response, chemical safety, andother compliance activities.
The largest waste stream is organic solvents. Thesecond largest is c orrosives. The corrosive category includesorganic and inorganic acids and bases. Waste oil is alsogenerated in maintenance shops and laboratories. Ap-proximately 50% of the total campus hazardous wastestream is unused bottles of reagent chemicals. The other50% is m ix tures, contam inated solutions and spent solvents.When professors leave the university there are usuallylarge quantities of surplus reagents and waste chemicalsleft in their laboratory. University administrators estimatethat by the year 2000 sixty-five percent (65%) of theprofessors will retire which will increase the number ofthe se laboratory c hem ical cleanouts. Figure A- l shows thebulk versus lab pack disposal for the university. Figure A-2 shows waste streams generated at the university, (TableA-1 explains the abbreviations found on Figures A-2 andA-3.)
Approximately 50% of the hazardous waste on cam-pus is collected. When waste is generated a form is com-pleted and sent to the safety office. Arrangements are thenmade for pickup and disposal. Figure A-3 shows a copy ofthis form. In some departments wastes are temporarilystored in the chemical stockroom. In others the safetyoffice picks up wastes directly from the generator. Allwaste ends up at a central waste storage area. In this areawastes are -,egregated into compatibility groups and are"lab packed" by an outside contractor. Bulk solventsreceived in five gallon safety cans are poured into 55 gallondrums and sent off campus for recycle, fuels blending orinc ine ration.
Table A-1. ABBREVIATIONS FOUND ONBAR DIAGRAMS
Ex = Explosives
ORM-A = Department of Transportation hazardousmaterialsclassification "Other Regulated Material-A" . Thiscategory includes materials which have "an anesthetic,irritating, noxious, toxic or other similar property andwhich can cause extreme annoyance or discomfort topassengers and crew in the event of leakage during trans-portation". Typical chemicals in this category are chlori-nated solvents.
ORM-B = Department of Transportation hazardousmaterials classification "Other Regulated Material-B".These are chemicals capable of causing significant damageto transport vehicle from leakage during transportation.
ORM-E -= Department of Transportation hazardousmaterials classification "Other R egulated Material-E". Thiscategory includes materials that are not included in anyother hazard class, but it is subject to appropriate trans-portation regulations. Materials in this class include haz-ardous materials and wastes.
OP = Organic Peroxide waste.
WR = Water Reactive waste.
Waste SourcesThe largest waste generator is chemistry. Other gen-
erators of waste are biology, physics, geology, art, engi-neering, printing operations and maintenance. Wastegenerated from the teaching hospital was not included inthe scope of this study.
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
The undergraduate program has six subdivisions:general, organic, inorganic, analytical, physical and bio-chemistry. General chemistry generates waste silver. Thissilver is saved for recycle. Acids and bases are neutralizedand poured down the drain. All other general chemistrywaste is nonhazardous. Organic chemistry waste includeshalogenated and nonhalogenated solvents, and inorganicsalts. Heavy metal waste is generated in inorganic chemistry.Analytical chemistry generates very little waste because of
28
3z
Figure A-1
.Large University Chemical Waste Disposal-Labpack vs. Bulk
1
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1986
Yearly
1987
Figure A-2.1
Hazardous Waste Disposal for the Large University
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Quarterly 1986-1987
29
3 7
Labpack
Bulk
Corrosive
Flammable
Oxidizer
EX, WR & OP
Figure A-2-2Hazardous Waste Disposal for the Large University
16
14
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Quarterly 1986 . 1987
30
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ORM-A 8113
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Poison B
Department
Figure A-3. Hazardous Chemicals Disposal List
Date
Person to contact regarding this list:
Name
HAZARD CLASSIFICATION CHECK ALL THAT APPLY
Telephone Number
f 0NAME OF CHEMICAL _A :Quantitydr 10. 0 fre
ojek <0 ,b Sr q4, 4.i
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the micro scale volumes used in instrumental analysis.Physical and biochemistry generate very little waste. Abreakdown of waste chemicals generated in sophomoreorganic chemistry and undergraduate biochemistry can befound in Tables A-2 and A-3. Increased environmentalregulation has changed undergraduate chemistry. Use oflead and mercury has been eliminated. Physical chemistryhas eliminated the use of benzene. There has been asigniticant increase in collection and segregation of wastechemicals. "Micro-scale" laboratory exerrises are selec-tively being instituted throughout the department.
Professors stated the following advantages and dis-advantages to full implementation of "micro scale" labo-ratory work:
Advantages of micro scale;
Students learn to work more carefully becauseof the small sizes. It helps students improvetheir laboratory technique.Significant decreases occur in chemical usage
and waste generation.
Disadvantages of micro scale:
Glassware is expensive. Micro glassware kitsrange in cost from S60 to S200 per kit, dependingon the quality and size of glassware desired.Need to redesign experiments.Certain reactions overheat and run out of controlwhen using small quantities.Micro scale experiments require pure gradechemicals which arc expensive.Students do not get the experience of handling
and assembling large glassware.Certain reactions require at least 50 ml to work
Grignard reactiln).
The lepartment has reduced the scale of laboratoryexperiments from 50-100 ml to 1-10 ml for most experi-ments.
Use of instrumentation io undergraduate laboratorieshas increased, This has reduced chemical usage 10 to 100fold. Instruments used are gas chromatography, infraredspec trophotometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance(N MR). N MR is becoming the major method of identifyingorganic compounds. Wet chemistry is becoming lessconlnlon.
Organic and inorganic graduate chemistry subdivisionsgenerate the most waste. The largest waste stream isorganic solvents. Quantifies of chew icals used in all graduatesubdivisions has decreased as a result of instrumentation.Surplus reagent chemicals from the research laboratoriesare added to the intracampus chemical exchange program.
Research funding cutbacks have increased the efficiencyof chemical usage. Three thousand different chemicals areused in the department.
A cemputerized chemical tracking system is usedwithin the chemistry department. This system trackschemicals from the fime it arrives on campus to the time itis used up or until it leaves campus as a waste. A diagramdepicting chemical flow in the department and wherecomputer input occurs is shown on Figure A-4.
BIOLOGY DEP 'MENT
The biology Arnent has a large graduate programin addition to undergraduate studies. Undergraduate biologyuses organic solvents, acids, stains, and numerousnonhazardous
chemicals. Many toxic chemicals have been phasedout. The volume of reactant.s used has been reduced to theminimum required to perform experiments. The need tocut costs, and increased use of instrumentation, are pro-moting mduction,
The graduate division is divided into two areas: mo-lecular and cell biology. Chemicals used and waste gen-erated in cell biology are: organic and inorganic acids andalkalies, organic solvents, carcinogenic compounds (ben-zidine, diazide, and n itrogenous compounds used in assays),and small quantities of other hazardous and nonhazardouscompounds.
Molecular biology uses less chemicals than cell biol-ogy, Chemicals used and wastes generated are phenol,methanol, formaldehyde, ethers, acrylonitrides, organicsolvents, heavy metals, inorganic acid washes, and inorganicsalts. Research is geared to DNA and protein analysis/synthesis.
Since biological research is said to be underfunded,professors arc trying to cut costs. This drive toward costeffectiveness has reduced the volume of chemicals usedand increased the sharing of chemicals between laborato-ries.
Use of instrumentation has made analytical work"micro scale". Chromatographic analysis and gel electro-phoresis are two methods commonly used. There has beena two to ten fold decrease in chemical usage as a result ofinstrument usage.
The biology department sporadically generates 50-200 gallons of formalin. This waste comes from use ofpreserved specimens.
Experiment 1: Extraction, Crystarzation and Distillation
Organic waste: Dichloromethane with a small amount (<lV) of BiphenylAqueous waste: Ethanol and water, neutralized sodium saltsSolid waste: Biphenyl in bag, benzoic acid in bag
Organic waste: Ethyl ether with a trace of benzoic acidAqueous waste: Magnesium salts, neutralized sodium saltsSolid waste: Benzoic acid
Experiment 6; Benzoin Condensation
Aqueous waste: Thiamine, ethanol, sodium hydroxide, trace benzaldehyde and benzoinOrganic waste: Dichloromethane with a trace of thiamine, benzoin and benzaldehydeSolid waste: Benzoin in bag
Experiment 6: Semicarbazide
Aqueous waste: Furfural semicarbazone, cyclohexanone semicarbonazone, and methanolSolid waste: Furfural semicarbazone and cyclohexanone semicarbozone in bag
Table A-3
WASTE GENERATED FROM UNDERGRADUATEExperiment 1: Nitrophenois
Aqueous waste: O. nitrophenoI, p-nitrophenol, m-nitrophenol andwater
Experiment 2: Carbohydrate
Aqueous waste: Sodium periodate dissolved in water
Experiment 3: Invertase
Aqueous waste: Oxidation products of 3,5-dinitrosalicylate
Experiment 4: Lactate dehydrogenase
None
BIOCHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS
2,5-dinitrophenol dissolved in ethanol and
Experiment 5: B-Galactosidase
Aqueous waste; 0-nitrophenol and Folin reagent (phenol and sodium tungstate) dissolved in water
33
ComputerInput
41.1
SolventDistillation
.01
ResearchLaboratories
Professor Bus ness Chemical Central
Requests Off ice Manufacturer Receiving
Chemical Purchasing
Store-Rooms
SolventYard
Storage
SolutionsPreparations
A
001
SolventYard Immommilmw
LialSafetyOffice 1.=111
UndergraduateLaboratoryInstruction
01
BiweeklySolventPickup
MachineShops
0.*
LABPack
SecureLandfill
Inceneration
I CommercialRecycierCaliforniaWasteExchange
On-SiteNeutralization
Intra-campusChemical Exchange
Storeroom
Chemical FlowPaper FlowComputer Input
Figure A-4 Large University Chemistry Department Chemical Flow Diagram
use less chemicals than chemistry and biology. Smallamounts of organic solvents, acids, bases, metals, andother chemicals arc used. Small quantities of waste aregenerated from use of these chemicals. Instrumentalanalysis used in these disciplines has decreased the amountsof chemicals used and the resulting waste generated.
ART DEPARTMENT
The art department uses a wide range of chemicals.Specialties that use chemicals are printing, textiles, ce..ram ic s, paintin g, silk screening, seu lpture and photography.Chemicals used and wastes generated from these processesare: inorganic acids, zinc, acetic acid, diesel, kerosene,turpentine, alcohols, oils, paints, and small amounts ofother chemicals. There have been few, if any, substitutionsof less hazardous chemicals used as a result of increasedsafety and environmental regulations. Only the awarenessof the hazards of chemicals used has increased.
THEATER DEPARTMENT
The scenery shop has eliminated use of oil-basedpaints and thinners. It presently uses only water basedpaints.
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT
Maintenance functions are divided into the followingspecialties: electrical, painting, plumbing, hardware, signshop, building maintenance, sheet metal, plant operations,building and grounds, custodial and fleet services. Thepaint shop generates waste paint, paint sludge and spentthinner. The other areas generate waste solvents and oils.Buildings and grounds avoids generation of pesticide rinsewater by saving this rinse water and using it in the nextspraying operation. Replacement of old polychlorinatedbiphenyl (PCB) transformers has created a PCB wastestream that is incinerated.
RecommendationsWaste reduction can be increased by implementing
the following recommendations for laboratory practicesand for hazardous waste management practices.
LABORATORY PRACTICES
Increase dissemination of information regardingproper waste management and waste reductionto generators.
Purchase and distribute additional 5 gallonsafety cans to promote segregated collection ofchlorinated and nonchlorinated solvents.
Encourage laboratory personnel to purchasesmaller volumes of chemicals. This will reducegeneration of surplus reagent chemicals.Implement a bar coding system for chemicals
used on campus to facilitate tracking of thesechemicals. Advantages are: increase the shari ngof chemicals between common users, provideup-to-date records on inventory and ages ofchemicals, and identify which labs uscextremely toxic chemicals.
In physical chemistry laboratories use magneticbalances (Gouy Balances) to reduce the volumeof heavy metals needed for certain experiments.
In undergraduate laboratories, use pre-weighedchemicals for students. This will eliminatewaste generation by student spilling/mishandling chemicals. If cost-effective, pre-weighed packages could be purchased directlyfrom the manufacturer.
Encourage use of the intracampus chemicalexchangelrecycle program that is in existence.
For biology establish a hazardous material/waste handling room. At present, there are nosafe areas for storage and handling of hazardousmaterials and wastes. Providing such a facilitywould promote proper management ofhazardous waste and aid in waste reduction.
Substitute special detergents for chromic acidfor washing glassware.
In all laboratory work increase the use of micro-glassware to reduce the volume of chemicalsrequired.
Purchase desktop solvent recovery units toincrease re-use of solvents on campus,
Increase in-lab destruction/treatment of wastechemicals. Many toxic and corrosive wastechemicals can be converted to nonhazardouschemicals via chemical treatment (see "PrudentPractices for Disposal of Chemicals FromLaboratories", National Research Council,1983; Chapter 6), Waste destruction should beincluded as the final procedure in experiments.
HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENTPRACTICES
For eac h department appoint a hazardous wastemanagement coordinator. This person willoversee safety, chemical handling, wastecollection, proper container use, and promotionof waste reduction.Establish campus and departmental goals forwaste reduction. Establishing specific goalswill provide an incentive for achk. ing thesegoals. They can be established as either a
35
percent reduction or total volume reduction.Prior to establishing goals, detailed analyses ofcurrent generation rates must be performed. Acampus waste reduction committee should beestablished. The committee should includerepresentative departments hazardous wastecoordinators, and chairpersons, campus safetyoffice, and a high level campus administrator.The committee function will be to establishreduction goals and oversee progress.For pesticide application investigate the use ofirrigation injection to replace sprayingoperations. Use of irrigation injection willreduce the amount of pesticide and rinse watersgenerated. Spec ial plumbing modifications tosprinkler systems will allow direct input ofpesticides to the sprinkler system. Anotheralternative to spraying is applying pesticides indry powder form and watering them into thesoil.Provide additional staff in thc safety office toassist in proper management and coordinationof hazardous waste on campus.
3t,
APPENDIX BWASTE AUDIT OF A RESEARCH
INSTITUTE
A research institute was audited as part of the study.Current research areas at the institute are in chemistry,biology, geology, physics, engineering, environmentalscience and computer science.
Hazardous Waste Management OverviewAn established waste management program was in
place. It is carried out by the campus health and safetyoffice. The program includes collection of waste chemi-cals, spill response, and technical assistance to generators.There is a central waste chemical storage area. This areastores drums of bulk waste, chemicals to be lab packed, andchemicals intended for recycle/exchange within the insti-tute. Figure B-1 shows the bulk versus lab pack disposalfor the institute.
Waste SourcesData and analysis of waste streams can be found in
Appendix B. There were no records available at theinstitute on waste generation from particular laboratories.The only records were Uniform Hazardous Waste Mani-fests. Asbestos and waste oil are not included in this study.Chemistry and biology departments generate the largestquantity and diversity of waste. Figure B-2 shows wastestreams generated at the institute. (Table B-1 explains theabbreviations used on Figure B-2).
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
Organic and inorganic subd ivi sions generate the largestquantity and diversity of waste. The othex subdivisionsgenerate small volumes. Both increased use of instru-mentation and performing experiments under a vacuumhave reduced chemical usage and waste generation.
There are 900 different chemicals in the departmentstockroom. Acetone is used at the rate of four 55 gallondrums every two months, methanol at six 55 gallon drumsper year, and hexane at :our 55 gallon drutns per year.
Table B-1. ABBREVIATIONS FOUND ONBAR DIAGRAMS
Ex = Explosives
ORM-A = Department of Transportation hazardousmaterials classi fication "Other Regulated Material-A". Thiscategory includes materials which have "an anesthetic,irritating, noxious, toxic or other similar property andwhich can cause extreme annoyance or discomfort topassengers and crew in the event of leakage during trans-portation". Typical chemicals in this category are chlori-nated solvents,
ORM-B = Department of Transportation hazardousmaterials classification "Other Regulated Material-B".These are chemicils capable of causing significant damage',o transport vehicle from leakage during transportation.
ORM-E = Department of Transportation hazardousmaterials classification "Other Regulated Material-E". Thiscategory includes materials that are not included in anyother hazard class, but it is subject to appropriate trans-portation regulations. Materials in this class include haz-ardous materials and wastes.
OP = Organic Peroxide waste
WR = Water Reactive waste.
The biology department uses a wide range of solvents,acids, bases, heavy metals and stains. The department isdivided between neurobiology and cellular/molecular bi-ology. Cellular/molecular biology generates the mosthazardous waste. There are two chemical stockrooms, onefor each subdivision. One stockroom surveyed had over300 different chemicals in stock. A partial listing of thesechemicals can be found in Table B-2. The stoc krooms alsostore waste chemicals prior to transfer to the campus wastestorage area. The highest volume chemical used is ethanol
37
Figure B-1Research institute Chemical Waste Disposal - Labpack vs. Bulk
1985 1986
Yearly
Figure B-2-1Hazardous Waste Disposal for th erResearch Institute
1987
30
cv,
Quarterly 1985.1987
38
10,
LabPack
Bulk
COITOSive
Flammable
OxidizerEX, Wr & OP
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Figure B-2-2Hazardous Waste Disposal for the Reserach institute
DJ
Quarterly 1935-1987
at 1500 gal/yr. Formaldehyde is used at 150 gal/year.Chlorinated solvents are used in small quantity.
The scarrity and expense in obtaining usable materialto study (i.e., DNA, proteins) lettuces waste generation.The increased use of chromotography and other micro-analytical techniques has also reduced waste generation.
. Awareness of safety and environmental issues hasgrown in the last two years. Not as many chemicals aredisposed of down drains and there is increased concern forhandling chemicals safely.
Researchers do share chemicals. Similar researchfocus and the proximity of laboratories to one anotherpromote sharing.
GEOLOGY AND PHYSICS
Geology and physics generate small amounts of wastesolvents and assorted inorganic compounds. Acids andbases are neutralized and poured down the drain. Ingeology analytical techniques are micro scale. A one gramsample is large for most analyses. In physics the wastestreams are 15 gallons of solvent per month (mostlyalcohols), metals (mainly arsenic), and assorted inorganicsalts and cyanides. In both disciplines increased instru-mentation has reduced chemical usage.
ORM-A&BORM-E
Poison B
ENGINEERING AND ENVIRONMENTALSCIENCE
Engineering has the following subdivisions: envi-ronmental, chemical, materials, fluid, mechanical, electricaland others. Different chemicals are used in each subdivision.Instrumentation is used in most laboratories which hasreduced chemical usage.
PLANT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE
Plant operations and maintenance generate wastesolvents, paint and oil. Oil-based paints are being phasedout and replaced with water-based paints. The only oil-based painting to continue will be for metal objects. Two55-gal drums of waste thinner are generated per year fromoil-based painting.
The grounds department applies fertilizers and pesti-cides to thelawns, trees and shrubs. The depanment isphasing out restricted pesticides and substituting non-toxicones. Use of inigation injection and water-soluble gravelpesticides that are spread on the grounds arid watered intosoil are being investigated. This will eliminate sprayingoperations.
Many academic departments have specialty machineshops that generate waste solvents and oils.
39
Trends in Waste Management PracticesA driving force for reducing chemical usage is eco-
nomics. In biology the drive to reduce overhead costs hasincreased sharing of chemicals between researchers, in-creased use of micro-analytical techniques, and reducedthe quantity of reagent chemicals purchased. In otherdepartments, limited research funding is increasing theefficient use of chemicals.
Whenever professors retire or leave, there is a largenumber of chemicals left behind in their laboratories. Mostof the chemicals are disposed of in lab packs. Some areretained for internal exchange and recycle.
Recommendations for Waste ReductionThere are many opportunities for waste reduction
beyond the efforts currently being implemented. Theseadditional opportunities are:
Establish an internal waste manifesting systemto create a data base on genelation of hazardouswaste. This information can be put onto acomputer data base.
After waste generation data is collected,determine the quantities of waste generated forthe entire campus and for each department.Establish yearly waste reduction goals for thecampus and for each department. Appoint oneperson in each department to carry out thewaste reduction policy. A campus wastereduction committee should be established toset goals and monitor progress.
To eliminate the need for chromic acid washingof glassware, either increase the use ofdisposable plastic glassware, or clean glasswarewith specialty detergents.
40
Increase the amount of in-lab destruction ofwaste chemicals. Many toxic and corrosivewaste chemicals can be converted tononhazardous chemicals via chemical treatment(see "Prudent Practices for Disposal ofChemicals From Laboratories, NationalResearch Council, 1983; Chapter 6). Wastedestruction should be the final procedure forexperiments.
Purchase small solvent distillers for recoveryand recycle of spent solvents. Recycled solventscan bc used for cleaning or other processeswhere ultra pure solvent is not required.
Purchase laboratory chemicals, paints, and othermaintenance chemicals in small sizes only.This will reduce generation of surplus materialsrequiring disposal.
Establish a tracking system for chemicals frompurchase to disposal. This will reduce duplicatepurchases, and minimize the waste generatedfrom old, partially used containers that age onlaboratory shelves. A bar coding system wouldenhance inventory control. Each chemicalwould have a different code which allowsefficient tracking. This system will also assistin promoting sharing of surplus chemicals.
Hire additional staff to assist in waste collection,data management (i.e., internal manifests), anddissemination of waste reduction information.
Encourage use of the intra-campus chemicalexchange/recycle program.
Provide routine self-audits for professors'laboratories. Focus on unused reagentaccumulation and recyclable wastes.
Appendix CWASTE AUDIT OF A SMALL
COLLEGE
A private liberal arts college was audited as part of thestudy. The student population is less than 2000. Under-graduate degrees are offered in physical sciences, socialsciences and humanities. A few departments such asbiology offer a Masters Degree.
Waste Management OverviewNo waste management program was in effect at the
college. One chemistry professor had organized a wastecollection program for waste chemicals. These chemicalswere disposed of in lab packs in 1986 in the second off-siteshipment of waste chemicals. The first shipment was in1983. The college administration is considering hiring apart-time Safety/Waste Management Officer and imple-menting a formal safety/waste management program.
Since there is no formal program, concerned profes-sors take a "piecemeal" approach to waste management.There is no budget for chemical safety and waste disposal.Each time a safety or waste disposal expenditure is nec-essary, it must come out of a department's budget or beobtained from general college funds, which is difficult and
The above description correlates with findings of arecent EPA study (EPA 1987; see references following textsections). The EPA found that large universities withextensive research programs have established wastemanagement programs. Small colleges and secondaryschools have small programs or none at all.
Waste SourcesWaste generation was found in chemistry, general
biology, marine biology, psychology, art, maintenance,and the school newspaper. Figure C-1 shows waste streamsgenerated at the college.
CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT
The department is strictly undergraduate with anemphasis on research. Diverse organic and inorganicchemicals are used in laboratory exercises and research.Most waste (60-75%) comes from general chemistry. Thefollowing wastes are generated in general chemistry: iodine,xylene, naptha, p-dichlorobenzene, mercury, chromium,lead and carbon tetrachloride. Research does not generate
significant waste. Benzene is used in one project, but isrecycled. Use of instrumentation has reduced the volumeof chemicals used,
BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT
There is a small graduate program in addition toundergraduate study. Chemicals used in the departmemare organic solvents, heavy metals, acids, bases, stains,enzymes, and other organic compounds. Chemical wastegeneration includes formaldehyde, mercury salts, solventsand old chemicals. Acids and bases go down the drain. Asmall amount of osmium tetroxide is also ge ner ated.
Marine biology generates small amounts of acids,bases, alcohols, and chlorinated solvem.s. Formalin isgenerated in larger quantities. The college has not beenable to dispose of old formalin. Over 250 gallons offormalin has accumulated thus far.
ART DEPARTMENT
The art department generates acids, waste paint andsolvents from silk screen and printing processes. Thedepartment is switching from oil-based paints to water-based paints. This will eliminate use of thinners. Venb-lation is not adequate in many studios. As a result manyvolatile compounds are beiug phased out.
WASTE GENERATION FROM OTHERSOURCES
Psychology generates waste solvent. The schoolnewspaper uses photo processing chemicals (organic ac-ids, bases, chromic acid cleaning solution) and wastechemicals are generated. The maintenance departmentgenerates waste oil. The paint shop uses wawr-bawdpaints only. The grounds crew applies pesticides to lawnsand trees. To avoid generation of waste pestickie theycompletely use up each application load.
Trends in Waste Management PracticesAs a result of increased environmental regulations
many changes have occurred. The chemistry departmenthas phased out carcinogenic compounds such as benzeneand chloroform, has purchased flammable storage cabinets,and has installee a better ventilation system. There hasbeen a reduction in the volume of chemicals used in
41
30
25
20to
203
)m1 5
0
Figure C-1Hazardous Waste Disposal for the Small College
,1.
,.
5
Quarterly 1985-1987
laboratory course work. Typically one quarter the quantityof chemicals called for in lalxratory manuals are used in
teaching laboratory experiments.
in biology changes are less noticeable than in chem-istry. Many professors do not support waste collectionprograms and new safety protocol. Chemical disposaldown drains still occurs.
A significant increase in the amount of analyticalinstrumentation used in research has decreased the amountof chemicals used. Teaching laboratories still uso.zetchemistry methods.
Recommendations for Waste RedvictionThe following recommendations can improve waste
management and promote waste reduction:
Establish a new administrative position entitled"Hazardous Material/Waste ManagementOfficer". Duties would i nclude chemical safety,waste collection, disposal, in ventory control,establishing an intracampus chemical exchangeprogram, respond to spills, and development ofa waste reduction program. This position mayrequire only 20 hours per week, so otherfunctions could be performed (teach, security
42
COMISIVe
Flammable
ORM E
functions, etc.).
Establish a separate budget for chemical safetyand waste management and charge it back tothe departments that generate hazardous waste.This will provide an economic incentive toreduce waste.
Eliminate use of toxic compounds in laboratoryexperiments by substituting a less toxic/hazardous compound, and/or using a differentexperiment entirely.
Establish a central location for waste chemicalstorage. This area should be well ventilated,secure, contain a fire extinguisher, eye wash,shower, allow for segregated storage ofincompatible chemicals, and be surrounded byberms to contain spills. The area can be used tostow surplus reagent chemicals which are to berecycled within the college.
S ubstitute less hazardous chemicals for cleanin gthe photo processor machines in the schoolnewspaper office. Present use of chromic acidcleaning solutions creates unnecessary safetyand disposal problems.
Have printing done off site. If the schoolnewspaper obtains educational value from theprinting activity, printing instruction can becontracted to a nearby technical school.Coordinate with other small colleges to havelaboratory instruction done at one location.This would allow consolidation of laboratorywaste generation.
Eliminate drain disposal of all toxic andhazardous wastes.
Increase the amount of in-lab destruction ofwaste chemicals. Many waste chemicals canbe converted to nonhazardous chemicals viachemical treatment (see "Prudent Practices for
43
Disposal of Chemicals From Laboratories",National Research Council, 1983). Wastedestruction should be the final procedure forexperiments.
Increase the use of instrumentation inundergraduate laboratory course work.
For pesticide application, investigate the use ofirrigation injection of pesticides to replacespraying operations. Use of irrigation injectionwill reduce the amount of pesticide and rinsewaters generated. Special plumbingmodifications to the sprinkler systems will allowdirect input o f pestic ides to the sprinkler system.Another alternative is applying pesticides inthe dry powder form and watering them into thesoil.
APPENDIX DWHERE TO GET HELP
FURTHER INFORMATION ON POLLUTION PREVENTION
Additional information on source reduction, reuse andrecycling approaches to pollution prevention is availablein EPA reports listed in this section, and through stateprograms (listed below) that offer technical and/or finan-cial assistance in the areas of pollution prevention andtreatment.
In addition, waste exchanges have been established insome areas of the U.S. to put waste generators in contactwith potential users of the waste. Four waste exc hanges arelisted below. Finally, EPA's regional offices are listed.
EPA REPORTS ON WASTEMINIMIZATIONU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Waste
Minimization Audit Report: Case Studies of Corrosiveand Heavy Metal Waste Minimization Audit at aSpecialty Steel Manufacturing Complex." ExecutiveSummary.*
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "WasteMinimization Audit Report: Case Studies ofMinimization of Solvent Waste for Parts Cleaning andfrom Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing Operation.Executive Summar .*
U.S. Environment:it Protection Agency. "WasteMinimization Audit Report: Case Studies ofMinimization of Cyanide Wastes from ElectroplatingOperations." Executive Summary.*
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Report toCongress: Waste Minimization, Vols. I and II. EPA/530-SW-86-033 and -034 (Washington, D.C.: U.S.EPA, 1986)."
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. WasteMinimization Issues and Options, Vols. I-III EPA,/530-SW-86-041 through -043. (Washington, D.C.:U.S. EPA, 1986).**
* Executive Summary available from EPA.WMDDRD, RREL, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive,Cincinnati, OH, 45268; full report available from theNational Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S.Deparunent of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161,
** Available from the National Technical InformationService as a five-volume set, NTIS No. PB-87-114-328.
The EPA's Office of Solid Waste and EmergencyResponse has set up a telephone call-in service to answerquestions regarding RCRA and Superfund (CERCLA):
(800) 242-9346 (outside the District of Columbia)
(202) 382-3000 (in the District of Columbia)
The following states have programs that offer technicaland/or financial assistance in the areas of waste minimiza-tion and treatment.
AlabamaHazardous Material Management and Resources Recov-cry ProgramUniversity of AlabamaP.O. Box 6373Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-6373(205) 348-8401
AlaskaAlaska Health ProjectWaste Reduction Assistance Program431 West Seventh Avenue, Suite 101Anchorage, AK 99501(907) 276-2864
ArkansasArkansas Industrial Development CommissionOne State Capitol MallLittle Rock, AR 72201(501) 371-1370
CaliforniaAlternative Technology SectionToxic Substances Control DivisionCalifornia State Department of Health Service714/744 P StreetSacramento, CA 94234-7320(916) 324-1807
Connecticut Department of Economic Development210 Washington StreetHanford, CT 06106(203) 566-7196
GeorgiaHaurdous Waste Technical Assistance ProgramGeorgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Technical Research InstituteEnvironmental Health and Safety DivisionO'Keefe Building, Room 027Adanta, GA 30332(404) 894-3806
Environmental Protection DivisionGeorgia Department of Natural ResourcesFloyd Towers East, Suite 1154205 Butler StreetAtlanta, GA 30334(404) 656-2833
IllinoisHazardous Waste Research and Information CenterIllinois Department of Energy of Energy and NaturalResources1808 Woodfield DriveSavoy, IL 61874(217) 333-8940
Illinois Waste Elimination Research CenterPritzker Department of Environmental EngineeringAlumni Building, Room 102Illinois Institute of Technology3200 South Federal StreetChicago, IL 60616(313) 567-3535
IndianaEnvironmental Management and Education ProgramYoung Graduate House, Room 120Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette, IN 47907(317) 494-5036
Indiana Decart-nent of Enviionmental ManagementOffice of Technical AssistanceP.O. Box 6015105 South Meridian StreetIndianapolis, IN 46206-6015(317) 232-8172
IowaCentex for Industrial Research and Service205 Engineering AnnexIowa State UniversityAmes, IA 50011(515) 294-3420
45
Iowa Department of Natural ResourcesAir Quality and Solid Waste Protection BureauWallace State Office Building900 East Grand AvenueDes Moines, IA 50319-0034(515) 281-8690
KansasBureau of Waste ManagementDepartment of Health and EnvironmentForbes Field, Building 730Topeka, KS 66620(913) 269-1607
KentuckyDivision of Waste ManagementNatural Resources and EnvironmentalProtection Cabinet18 Reilly RoadFrankfort, KY 40601(502) 564-6716
LouisianaDepartment of Environmental QualityOffice of Solid and Hazardous WasteP.O. Box 44307Baton Rouge, LA 70804(504) 342-1354
MarylandMaryland Hazardous Waste Facilities Siting Board60 West Street, Suite 200 AAnnapolis, MD 21401(301) 974-3432
MissouriState Environmental Improvement and EnergyResources AgencyP.O. Box 744Jefferson City, MO 65102(314) 751-4919
New JerseyNew Jersey Hazardous Waste Facilities Siting
CommissionRoom 61428 West State StreetTrenton, NJ 08608(609) 292-1459(609) 292-1026
Hazardous Waste Advisement ProgramBureau of Regulation and ClassificationNew Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection401 Fast State StreetTrenton, NJ 08625
Risk Reduction UnitOffice of Science and ResearchNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection401 East State StreetTrenton, NJ 08625
46
New YorkNew York State Environmental Facilities
Corporation50 Wolf RoadAlbany, NY 12205(518) 457-3273North CarolinaPollution Prevention Pays ProgramDepartment of Natural Resources andCommunity DevelopmentP.O. Box 27687512 North Salisbury StreetRaleigh, NC 27611(919) 733-7015
Governor's Waste Management Board325 North Salisbury StreetRaleigh, NC 27611(919) 733-9020
Technical Assistance UnitSolid and Hazardous Waste Management BranchNorth Carolina Department of Human ResourcesP.O. Box 2091306 North Wilmington StreetReleigh, NC 27602(919) 733-2178
OhioDivision of Solid and Hazardous Waste ManagementOhio Environmental Protection AgencyP.O. Box 10491800 Water Mark DriveCol imbus, OH 43266-1049(6 i4) 481-7200
Ohio Technology Transfer OrganizationSuite 20065 East State StreetColumbus, OH 43266-0330(614) 466-4286
OklahomaIndustrial Waste Elimination ProgramOklahoma State Department of HealthP.O. Box 53551Oklahoma City, OK 73152(05) 271-7353
OregonOregon Hazardous Waste Reduction ProgramDepartment of Environmental Quality811 Southwest Sixth AvenuePortland, OR 97204(503) 229-5913
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Technical Assistance Program501 F. Orvis Keller BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802(814) 865-0427
Center of Hazardous Material Research320 William Pitt WayPittsburgh, PA 15238(412) 826-5320
Bureau of Waste ManagementPennsylvania DepartmenL ofEnvinonmental ResourcesP.O. Box 2063Fulton Building3rd and Locust StreetsHarrisburg, PA 17120(717) 787-6239
Rhode IslandOcean Skate Cleanup and Recycling ProgramRhode Island Department of Environmental Management9 Hayes StreetProvidence, RI 02908-5003(401) 277-3434(800) 253-2674 (in Rhode Island)
Center for Environmental StudiesBrown UniversityP.O. Box 1943135 Angell StreetProvidence, RI 02912(401) 863-3449
TennesseeCenter for Industrial Services102 Alumni HallUniversity of TennesseeKnoxville, TN 37996(615) 974-2456
VirginiaOffice of Policy and PlanningVirginia Department of Waste Managementllth Floor, Monroe Building101 North 14th StreetRichmond, VA 23219(804) 225-2667
WashingtonHazardous Waste SectionMail Stop PV-11Washington Department of EcologyOlympia, WA 98504-8711(206) 459-6322
WisconsinBtu= of Solid Waste ManagementWisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesP.O. Box 7921101 South Webstex StreetMadison, WI 53707(608)267-3763
WyomingSolid Waste Management ProgramWyoming Department of Environmental QualityHerchler Building, 4th Floor, West Wing122 West 25th StreetCheyenne, WY 82002(307) 777-7752
WASTE EXCHANGESNortheast Industrial Exchange90 Presidential Plaza, Syracuse, NY 13202(315) 422-6572
Southern Waste Information ExchangeP.O. Box 6487, Tallahassee, FL 32313(904) 644-5516
California Waste ExchangeDepartment of Health ServicesToxic Substances Control DivisionAlternative Technology & Policy Development Section714 P StreetSacramento, CA 95814(916) 324-1807
U.S. EPA REGIONAL OFFICES
Region 1 (VT, N11, ME, MA, CT, RI)John F. Kennedy Federal BuildingBoston, MA 02203(617) 565-3715
Region 2 (NY, NJ)26 Federal PlazaNew York, NY 10278(212) 264-2525
Region 3 (PA, DE, MD, WV, VA)841 Chestnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107(215) 597-9800
Region 4 (KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS)345 Court land Street, NEAtlanta, GA 30365(404) 347-4727
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Region 5 (WI, MN, MI, IL, IN, OH)230 South Dearborn StreetChicago, IL 60604(312) 353-2000
Region 6 (NM, OK, AR, LA, TX)1445 Ross AvenueDallas, TX 75202(214) 655-6444
Region 7 (NE, KS, MO, IA)756 Minnesota AvenueKansas City, KS 66101(913) 236-2800
Region 8 (MT, ND, SD, WY, UT, CO)999 18th StreetDenver, CO 80202-2405(303) 293-1603
Region 9 (CA, NV, AZ, HI)215 Fremont StreetSan francisco, CA 94105(415) 974-8071
Region 10 (AK, WA, OR, ID)1200 Sixth AvenueSeattle, WA 98101(206) 442-5810
*Li. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: MO 7411-159/0041148
