Hazardous Waste Management & Donated Materials Procedure

Custodian of Procedure: VP Finance & Administration

Relevant Minnesota State System Policy: http://www.minnstate.edu/board/policy/524.html

Effective Date: September 1, 2013

Last Review: N/A

Next Review: 2018

Purpose of Hazardous Waste Management & Donated Materials Procedure

This procedure governs acceptance of potential hazardous waste materials as donations or gifts to Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM). Before accepting donated materials the university must assess the potential benefit as well as potential costs and risks of acquiring the intended gift.

Definitions

Hazardous Waste: Any waste meeting one of the following as defined by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA):

  1. Displaying a hazardous waste characteristic as defined by MPCA
  2. Recorded in one of MPCA’s lists of hazardous waste
  3. Containing polychlorinated biphenyls.

Infectious/Biological Waste: Waste posing a biological risk. Examples include; blood and other bodily fluids, sharps, human vaccines, infectious cultures, etc.

Materials: Any material which at the end of its usefulness creates a regulated waste.

Universal Waste: A subset of hazardous waste that is generated by most government, business and industry operations, and which is managed under reduced requirements.

Hazardous Waste Coordinator

The name and contact information for the hazardous waste coordinator shall be posted on the MSUM website. The hazardous waste coordinator for MSUM is the Environmental Health and Safety Administrator

Gift Acceptance

Hazardous waste prohibition: Materials defined as hazardous, universal, or infectious/biological waste shall not be accepted as donations or gifts for any purpose.

Assessment of Donated Materials: Prior to accepting any donation or gift of materials not prohibited under subpart A, the university, in consultation with the designated hazardous waste coordinator, shall consider:

  1. The cost of disposal of the materials versus the program and institutional benefit.
  2. The impact acceptance of the materials would have on existing waste streams, creation of a new waste stream, and impact the campus waste generator size designation, future maintenance or disposal costs.