Waste is to be managed in the following manner (in descending order of preference) in an effort to prevent pollution to the environment:

• Prevention through source elimination or reduction,
• Product reuse,
• Environmentally-sound recycling,
• Environmentally-sound treatment, or
• Environmentally-sound disposal.

 All University personnel are to evaluate waste minimization and pollution prevention opportunities in their work area on a regular basis and implement those opportunities as appropriate.  The waste minimization techniques specified below are to be considered, at a minimum, when evaluating opportunities:

Purchasing Controls

• Order only the volumes of materials necessary to complete the desired activity or project.

• Purchase smaller lots of materials on a more frequent basis.  Purchase only volumes that can be utilized during a defined period of time (e.g. every 3 or 6 months).  Utilize suppliers that can offer quick delivery of needed materials.

• Only purchase products/chemicals in bulk when it is known for certain that bulk volumes can be used expeditiously.

• Be aware of any physical property of the material or chemical that may preclude long-term storage of the material. (e.g. peroxide formation).

• Establish a centralized purchasing system within the department or area to monitor purchases in an effort to avoid duplicate orders. 

• Establish a standing date (e.g. once per month) for inventorying and ordering office/laboratory/classroom supplies.

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Inventory Controls

• Attempt to redistribute unused materials and chemicals to other campus users.  Objectively evaluate the potential use of chemicals offered for redistribution by other campus users.

• Attempt to return unused, unopened materials to vendor for credit.

• Ensure all chemical containers, whether virgin or waste, whether in the original or secondary container, are labeled at all times.

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Operational Controls

• Evaluate less hazardous substitutes for products containing hazardous materials whenever feasible.

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Laboratory Operations

• Periodically review each experimental or research protocol to assure that chemical usage is minimized.

• Reclaim and reuse materials when feasible (e.g., utilizing spent solvent for initial gross cleaning step and utilizing fresh solvent only for the final rinse).

• Reduce chemical usage in experimentation through the use of microscale techniques whenever practical.

• Utilize less toxic alternatives to ethidium bromide such as SyberGreen™, SybrSafe™, or other similar products.

• Utilize water-soluble, biodegradable scintillation fluids in place of solvent-based products.

• Utilize specialty, biodegradable glass cleaning detergents in place of sulfuric acid/chromic acid cleaners.

• Utilize specimens preserved in less toxic preservatives in place of those preserved in formaldehyde-based preservatives where feasible.

• Avoid wet chemistry techniques when practical.

• Neutralize corrosive wastes as a final step of an experiment or procedure.

• Avoid mixing hazardous and non-hazardous wastes.

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Mainetenance Operations

• Utilize a heat gun in place of chemical-based paint strippers.

• Utilize water-based degreasers in place of chlorinated solvent or petroleum-based degreasers where feasible.

• Reclaim and reuse materials when feasible (e.g. having a naphtha-based parts washer serviced by a reputable service company that reclaims the spent degreaser when a solvent-based degreaser is required).

• Fully participate in scrap metal recycling program if available for the respective campus. 

 

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Recycling

• Participate to the fullest extent possible in University-sponsored recycling programs.

• Ensuring that reusable materials are used within the department or managed through the surplus property program for that campus.

• Additional information on campus recycling programs can be found at:

  • IUB: http://facilityoperations.indiana.edu/operations/building-services/recycling/index.shtml
  • IUPUI: http://sustainability.iupui.edu/topics/recycling.asp

• Additional information on Surplus Property programs can be found at:
  • IUB: http://surplus.indiana.edu/copy/Surplus.asp  
  • IUPUI: http://www.surplus.iupui.edu/

Additional guidance and assistance in waste minimization is available directly from the respective IUEHS office for each campus.