Hazardous Waste Management

Hazardous waste may be generated from laboratory and classroom operations, facilities operations and maintenance, construction and renovation activities, photo processing, and a variety of other activities conducted or performed at Farmingdale State College (FSC). Hazardous waste is a particular class of "solid" waste (which includes solid, liquid, or gaseous material) which, if improperly managed, poses a substantial threat or potential hazard to human health and the environment. Typical hazardous wastes generated at FSC include, but are not limited to, spent solvents, waste laboratory chemicals, waste paints and waste oil.

Hazardous waste is subject to a complex regulatory scheme to ensure that uniform and consistent waste identification, storage and disposal procedures are followed by persons trained in the proper management of these waste substances. In a responsibility that cannot be reassigned to others, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assigns the generator of hazardous waste "cradle to grave" responsibility for the proper management of these substances after the point of generation. This strict liability scheme creates a powerful incentive for regulatory compliance, including waste minimization. In New York State, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is the agency responsible for the implementation and enforcement of hazardous waste regulations.

The Environmental Health and Safety Officer at Farmingdale State College is responsible for assisting College personnel with hazardous waste management procedures including waste identification, storage, packaging, manifesting, shipping, disposal, reporting, records keeping and personnel training.

In an effort to provide FSC personnel involved in the generation of hazardous waste with an overview of regulatory and institutional requirements for the management of these wastes, as well as information on spill response and laboratory safety, the following guide was developed.

To Request a Chemical Waste Pickup, follow these steps:

• A REQUEST FOR PICKUP OF CHEMICAL WASTE FORM should be filled out prior to when the chemical waste is to be picked up from your lab or work area (a different type of form should be completed for a Regulated Medical Waste/Red Bag pickup request – contact EH&S at x2105 for assistance). Please Note: This is not required and serves as an internal inventory tracking mechanism only.
• The form has two copies – the front/white copy to be included with the chemicals for pickup, and the back/yellow copy is for your own records.
• INSTRUCTIONS on how to complete the form can be found on the REVERSE of each form/page.
• The IDENTIFICATION of the chemicals on the form MUST MATCH those on the HAZARDOUS WASTE LABEL(S) placed on the chemical waste container(s).
• The NUMBER of containers (of identical size), the SIZE/CAPACITY of the containers, and the AMOUNT WITHIN each container must also be listed on the form.
• When your container(s) is FULL, or you need your waste picked up for any reason, please submit a work order through the Physical Plant work order system. Access Work Order System. Once in the work order system, select "Moving & Trucking" from the category drop down feature, and then choose "Waste/Hazardous Materials" from the subcategory drop down menu. Please be as descriptive as possible in the "Description" section - tell us the TYPE(S) of waste you need picked up (i.e. acids, bases, flammables, assorted toxics, etc.), how many containers and of what size, etc.
• IMPORTANT! You MUST COPY the EH&S Officer on ALL work order requests involving hazardous waste. Scroll down to the bottom of the work order you're creating and enter the Environmental Health & Safety Officer's e-mail in the "E-mail Id(s) To Notify" field.
• If you've completed a request for pickup of chemical waste form, you may scan and attach it to your work order as well using the "Attach File" feature included therein.

Labels for hazardous waste containers and Request for Pickup of Chemical Waste Forms are available from the Office of EH&S.

Hazardous Waste Management Training

Hazardous Waste Management Training is required if you generate, manage or otherwise handle hazardous chemical waste. The EH&S Office offers training throughout the year. Please visit our training page to determine when a course is available and which training(s) would apply to you.

In case of an emergency or major chemical/hazardous waste spill, contact University Police at 934-420-2111.