The challenge
University EH&S staff oversees lab packing, recycling, emergency response, and chemical safety and security activities. The waste streams Veolia is managing for this customer includes solvents, organic halogenated and non-halogenated hydrocarbons, energetic material like explosives, and DEA-controlled substances.
The project challenges are:
- This state university, located in the western part of the country, has over 450 active hazardous waste sites in their system, with nearly 90% of the waste generated through research.
- The remaining 10% comes from teaching and university operations. In addition, there are outreach/extension sites across the state, generating waste in 92% of the state's counties.
Veolia’s solution
"In 2003, the university secured a contract with Veolia, and we haven't looked back. Veolia has been our waste disposal company for nearly 10 years, and every year they impress me. They offer outstanding professional services, and always provide me with the best price in the industry," said a university representative.
Innovative solutions:
- The university built a data system with applications that keep track of the annual training, hazardous waste pickups and weekly inspections.
- Every sixty days, Veolia picks up waste throughout the system, guided by the information logged in the university's web-based system.
- The system generates a unique label, an EHS ID number and a barcode. Solvents are put into 55-gallon drums and sent off for fuel blending, where they are processed into fuel sources for use by other companies.
Benefits to our client
"They are one of those squeaky clean groups that make it easy to put your confidence into their service," said one university representative. "They are a company that wants to take care of waste in a safe and environmentally-friendly way. We are all extremely happy with Veolia and all of their services they have provided us over the years. No matter what we throw at Veolia, they always take care of it."
Results:
- The university has enjoyed a reduction of greater than 50% in its average per pound disposal cost through packaging and disposal method changes.
- The university also has earned the highest sustainability star rating among 129 universities nationwide.
"Veolia is a company that wants to take care of waste in a safe and environmentally-friendly way. We are all extremely happy with Veolia and all of their services they have provided us over the years."
—University Representative