Physical Resources Standard Operating Procedure 1.2.26 Guidelines for the Disposal of Garbage and Recyclables on the Main Campus Effective Date: May, 2004 Revision Date: March, 2016 Signature/Position: Director, Environmental Services Purpose To outline the guidelines expected to be followed regarding the disposal of garbage and recyclables on the main campus. Scope All University of Guelph employees, students and visitors. References University of Guelph Policies: 851.08.14 Hazardous Waste Management 851.08.15 Sharps Waste Management 851.12.01 Non-Hazardous Waste Management Physical Resources Standard Operating Procedures: 1.2.41 Recycling Spent Lamps 1.4.14 Handling and Disposal of Sharps Custodial Services Standard Operating Procedures: 8.7.4 Collection and Disposal of Garbage and Recyclables. Definitions Recycling is collected in a comingled stream, in line with City of Guelph and Provincial guidelines. All recyclable items indicated in the guidelines are mixed together in one stream, and are collected in transparent blue bags and in receptacles labeled "Recyclables Only". All other waste material is considered to be garbage, and is disposed of in clear bags and in receptacles labeled "Garbage Only". Guidelines: Waste Containers (Indoor Waste Containers and Outdoor Dumpsters) Waste containers must be labeled and used only for the designated purpose. All recycling containers and outdoor dumpsters are University property and are provided for the purpose of disposing of University generated waste only. The dumping of non-university waste in the University s dumpsters is prohibited and may produce safety hazards for University and City of Guelph workers handling waste. Types of Waste Prohibited in Dumpsters The following wastes are prohibited in dumpsters: furniture, construction waste, plants with novel traits and treated soil, trees and shrubs and/or clippings, tires, animal tissue waste, large amounts of wood, metal or equipment, gas or propane cylinders, hazardous waste, electronic waste, spent fluorescent light tubes and compact fluorescent light bulbs, sharps or liquid wastes of any kind. Arrangements may be made for the removal of such wastes by contacting Physical Resources at extension 53854. A charge may be incurred for the service. Any suspicious, inappropriate or potentially hazardous waste dumping by University employees, or members of the community at large should be reported to the Physical Resources Recycling Coordinator at extension 58129, or email recycle@pr.uoguelph.ca. PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 1 of 7
Garbage Items which are considered to be garbage include food scraps, paper towels, non-recyclable items and contaminated (soiled) recyclable items. These items must be disposed of in garbage containers. Refer to waste sorting guidelines below for more details. Departments are responsible for supplying their own garbage containers. Garbage Removal Custodial Services staff will not remove waste that is not a safe weight or size to lift and carry. Departments are encouraged to contact Custodial Services for recommendations regarding the disposal of irregular waste loads. Departments must make arrangements with Physical Resources Materials Handling Department to remove non-conforming and unacceptable waste. Custodial Services staff will not empty garbage and recycling containers which contain hazardous waste such as sharps, biohazardous or chemical waste etc. In cases of non-compliance, custodial staff will post a Custodial Services Waste Safety Notice on or near waste containers containing hazardous waste. Refer to waste sorting guidelines below. Retrieval of lost items cannot be guaranteed and poses an extreme safety risk for custodial staff. Therefore, departments are strongly advised to not use waste containers for storing personal or departmental items. Hazardous Waste Removal The disposal of hazardous waste must be arranged in consultation with the University s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department. Biohazardous Waste Removal Generators of biohazardous waste (i.e. agar plates, cultures, blood products) are responsible for autoclaving waste and placing it into waste containers lined with stronger garbage bags supplied by Custodial Services. Autoclaved biohazardous waste will be disposed of by Custodial Services staff. The disposal of biohazardous waste that is not autoclaved must be arranged by the generator in consultation with EHS. Plants with Novel Traits and Soil Plants with novel traits and treated soil must be disposed of in green University of Guelph soil bins. This material is collected by the Grounds department for handling. Laboratory Waste Many laboratory waste items are considered dangerous to the health and safety of waste collection and sorting workers and the environment. Laboratories must follow Physical Resources disposal of garbage and recyclables guidelines. Non-infectious Lab Glass Waste In labs, non-infectious lab glass waste must be placed in clearly labeled, white, 5 gallon pails lined with yellow, heavy-duty garbage bags. Pails and labels will be supplied by Custodial Services. Recyclables Recyclables include such items as cardboard, glass beverage bottles (if not broken), paper, plastic, steel, aluminum and copper. Refer to waste sorting guidelines below for more details. Recyclables must be disposed of in blue containers labeled Recyclables Only. Recycling containers will be supplied by Physical Resources. A special program currently exists for recycling departmental computer system components or equipment and for spent fluorescent light tubes and compact fluorescent light bulbs. These recyclables must be disposed of in consultation with the Physical Resources Recycling Coordinator at extension 58129, or email recycle@pr.uoguelph.ca. PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 2 of 7
Shop Recyclables Metal, copper, aluminum, porcelain etc. must be deposited in departmental or the Physical Resources designated shop recycling bin. Shop recyclables must only be disposed of in the appropriate garbage containers or dumpsters. Cardboard All non-waxed cardboard waste is recyclable. Departments must flatten carboard boxes and place the cardboard in or near recycling containers or in hallways where space allows. Cardboard waste must be flattened before being disposed in cardboard or recycling dumpsters. Waxed cardboard must be flattened and disposed of in the garbage. Fine Paper All departmental fine paper waste is recyclable. Physical Resources will supply large recycling containers for areas that generate a substantial amount of fine paper waste such as photocopy areas. Recyclable Spent Lamps The term recyclable spent lamps includes burnt-out fluorescent light tubes, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and include halogen, mercury vapour and other burnt-out high intensity discharge lamps. Fluorescent lamps and other types of lamps contain mercury or other hazardous substances, therefore it is particularly important to dispose of them properly. It is important to note that under no circumstances shall recyclable spent lamps be disposed of in indoor garbage containers or outdoor dumpsters. Similarly recyclable spent lamps are still prohibited in indoor recycling containers and outdoor blue recycling dumpsters. Instead, as of July 2007, recyclable spent lamps are being recycled on Campus via a separate recycling stream coordinated between Physical Resources and EHS. Note: Spent incandescent light bulbs are not recyclable at this time, however these bulbs shall be disposed of safely by collecting them in a cardboard box lined with a strong garbage bag, sealing the container and then disposing of them in an outdoor garbage dumpster. Packaging Recyclable Spent Lamps Recyclable spent lamps shall be returned to the original packaging i.e. a cardboard box. If required, tube-size cardboard boxes may be purchased from the Physical Resources Stockroom for this purpose. Likewise, spent compact fluorescent bulbs shall also be contained in boxes of an appropriate size. Labeling Packages Each box of recyclable spent lamps shall be tagged with a completed yellow EHS Hazardous Chemical Waste warning tag. Hazardous Chemical Waste Tags may be obtained from EHS upon request. Storage Recyclable spent lamps shall be collected and safely stored until a substantial number of lights has accumulated (as space permits). Collection To initiate the collection of accumulated tagged boxes of recyclable spent lamps an EHS Surplus Chemical and Sharps Disposal Request form must first be completed (including a designated pick-up location) and submitted by fax, mail or in person to EHS. The Surplus Chemical and Sharps Disposal Request form may be downloaded from the EHS website. Upon receiving the completed form, EHS personnel will add the request for pick-up to the hazardous waste removal company s list of on-campus pick-ups. The lamps will be collected from the designated pick-up location during the company s next scheduled pick-up day. PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 3 of 7
Recycling Small Quantities of Spent Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Small amounts of loose spent compact fluorescent bulbs (not tubes) will be accepted without being contained and/or tagged with a yellow EHS form at any student residence desk, the CSA office (2nd floor UC), and at the Physical Resources Sustainability Office (basement of Blackwood Hall). Broken bulbs will be accepted when contained in a puncture proof container, however they can be hazardous and must be handled with extreme care. Waste Sorting Guidelines Recyclable Items The following items are considered good recyclables, and are always accepted, as long as they are clean: aluminum beverage cans aluminum foil aluminum pie plates/dishes bleach bottles (rinsed) blue prints books (covers removed) boxboard cartons and boxes bristol board brown paper bags calendars (spiral binding removed) carboys (Nalgene) catalogues coloured photocopy paper computer paper construction paper corrugated non-waxed cardboard cartons and boxes cores and tubes (boxboard/cardboard) courier boxboard envelopes file folders food cans and tins glass beverage bottles (all colours) glass food jars (all colours) glossy magazines and flyers journals milk cartons (gable top) and drink boxes newspapers and flyers newsprint paper envelopes plastic beverage bottles plastic containers (tubs and lids - margarine, sour cream, yogurt, etc.) plastic jugs plastic plant pots & trays post-it notes posters steel cans steel pails writing, printer, photocopy paper Please note: if any of the above items contain food or liquids, the recycling container is considered contaminated and will be disposed of into the garbage dumpster. PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 4 of 7
Garbage Items Waste Sorting Guidelines The following items are not recyclable, and should be disposed of in the Garbage containers. These items are considered contamination in the Recycling stream. broken glassware (dishes, cups, etc. See also Appendix A Glass, for details) bubble wrap ceramic dishware coffee grounds facial tissue (Kleenex ) food containers containing food food waste J-cloths Kimwipes lab coats label backings laminated packaging latex/nitrile gloves microcentrifuge tubes napkins paper coffee cups paper towels Parafilm pipette tips/covers pipettes plants with novel traits plastic bags or plastic wrap plastic film/packaging plastic sample dishes plastic syringes (no needles) plate glass reagent bottles (empty) solvent containers Styrofoam (polystyrene) food or drink containers Styrofoam (polystyrene) packing chips tape (adhesive, masking) tea bags test tube racks tongue depressors waxed drink cups waxed paper and cardboard window glass PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 5 of 7
Unacceptable Items - Sharps Waste Sorting Guidelines The following items are not recyclable, and should be disposed of by the users in the appropriately marked sharps containers. If they are found in any other waste containers, Custodial Services employees will not empty the container and are required to leave a Custodial Services Waste Safety Notice (see Appendix A). blades broken glass slides lab glass capable of cutting or puncturing needles slide covers slides stylets syringes with needles PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 6 of 7
Custodial Services Waste Safety Notice This Waste Container Was Not Emptied Because: [ ] Sharps were unsafely disposed of. Please dispose of sharps i.e. needles, blades, knives etc. in a sharps container. Sharps containers may be obtained from the Physical Resources Stockroom. [ ] Glass was unsafely disposed of. Please dispose of non-infectious lab glass i.e. beakers, test tubes, pipettes etc. in the designated non-infectious lab glass pail. Non-infectious lab glass pails may be obtained from Custodial Services. [ ] Liquids/Chemicals were improperly disposed of. Please dispose of all non-hazardous liquids/chemicals in the sanitary sewer system. Please send all hazardous liquids/chemicals to the appropriate designated hazardous waste disposal facility. [ ] Blood Products were improperly disposed of. Please dispose of blood products in the sanitary sewer system or send blood products for incineration using the hazardous/designated waste disposal system. [ ] Biohazard Waste was improperly disposed of. Please dispose of all biohazard waste i.e. cultures, specimens, contaminated equipment, containers, gloves etc. in biohazard/autoclave bags or designated containers and send waste to the appropriate designated autoclave facility. [ ] Recycling/Garbage was improperly disposed of. Please separate your recyclable items from garbage items, and ensure that the recycling container is uncontaminated. For more information visit www.uoguelph.ca/sustainability, email: recycle@pr.uoguelph.ca or call extension 58129. For more information on the safe disposal of hazardous, infectious, toxic, or biohazard waste contact Environmental Health and Safety at extension 53282 or email ehs@uoguelph.ca Thank you for your cooperation! Custodial Services PR Guidelines, 1.2.26 Guidelines for Disposal of Garbage/Recyclables on Main Campus, March 2016 Page 7 of 7