Hazardous waste


Stanford’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) arranges for removal of hazardous waste materials, with protocols that help prevent spills, discharge into wastewater and evaporation into the atmosphere. The user-friendly nature of the program protects human health and the environment by reducing the potential for accidents and improper disposal. Stanford also tries to limit the use of hazardous materials and chooses substitutes whenever possible.

Stanford’s research activities produced an estimated annual average of 340,000 pounds of hazardous waste (including containers for much of the lab waste) from 2003 through 2008. Hazardous waste from maintenance, utilities and remediation activities averages 185,000 pounds per year.

We use a variety of environmentally preferable techniques for managing hazardous waste, which in 2008 included:

  • Recycling over 77,000 pounds of solvent waste from research for off-site use as an alternate fuel in the vendor’s hazardous waste incinerator.
  • Neutralizing off-site about 75,000 pounds of acidic wastewater from research to make it nonhazardous.
  • Treating off-site about 44,000 pounds of silver-bearing photographic waste from research to recover and recycle the silver. (Due to ongoing conversion to digital imaging, the amount of this waste generated is decreasing.)
  • Recycling about 17,000 pounds of oil used in research and maintenance.

Hazardous Waste Initiatives

EH&S works to minimize the use of hazardous materials and the production of related waste through these initiatives:

The Surplus Chemical Program

finds and stores unused chemicals and makes them available to Stanford researchers at no charge. In 2008, EH&S redistributed more than 200 containers of chemicals, representing a savings of $21,000. The program uses Stanford’s Chemical Inventory Management and Tracking System (ChemTracker), which is considered one of the most effective chemical inventory systems in the country; Stanford now offers ChemTracker to other educational and not-for-profit institutions.

Solvent recycling

helps the university avoid new solvent purchases. Since 1996, EH&S has recycled 100–300 gallons of solvents for reuse every year, and plans are under way to expand the program.

The Mercury Thermometer Exchange

has replaced more than 2,750 mercury thermometers with nonmercury models since 2003, removing more than 300 pounds of mercury from campus.

“If we are to leave our children a better world, we must take steps now to create a sustainable environment. So it is critical that we model sustainable citizenship on our own campus.”
— John Etchemendy
Provost, Stanford University
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford is developing global solutions to climate change and putting them into practice on campus.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
About 60 percent of Stanford’s total contiguous land remains undeveloped.
Recycled paper is less expensive than virgin paper under the campus-wide office supply contract.
From 2002 to 2010, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 48 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
Stanford invests IN sustainability through a broad range of initiatives in research, education, efficiency improvement, conservation systems, new technology, student-led projects and more.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 51 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.

For additional information, go to the
Environmental Health & Safety website.