Hazardous Waste Management

Environmental Health & Safety

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Cabrillo Community College District manages hazardous waste in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. In California, hazardous waste is regulated primarily by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) under California hazardous-waste laws and regulations, with federal requirements administered under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) where applicable.

In Santa Cruz County, hazardous-materials and hazardous-waste generator oversight is also administered through Santa Cruz County Environmental Health.

Questions regarding hazardous waste should be directed to Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) at ehs@cabrillo.edu or 831-234-5804.

Identifying Hazardous Waste

A material may be regulated as hazardous waste because it exhibits a hazardous characteristic, appears on an applicable hazardous-waste list, or otherwise meets California hazardous-waste criteria.

The four primary hazardous-waste characteristics are:

Ignitability: Waste capable of causing or contributing to fire. For many liquids, the regulatory flash-point criterion is below 60°C (140°F).
Corrosivity: Waste that meets regulatory corrosivity criteria. California's requirements are broader than the federal system and can include certain corrosive solids as well as liquids.
Reactivity: Waste that may explode, react violently, or create other dangerous reactions under certain conditions.
Toxicity: Waste containing hazardous constituents or exhibiting toxicity characteristics under applicable California or federal criteria.

Hazardous-waste determinations should not be based solely on appearance or a short list of examples. Contact EH&S when there is uncertainty about whether a material must be managed as hazardous waste.

Materials Requiring Evaluation

The following materials should be evaluated before disposal and must not be placed in regular trash or discharged to the sewer unless specifically authorized:

Unwanted, expired, or abandoned chemicals
Chemical mixtures and process wastes
Unknown or unlabeled chemicals
Chemicals in damaged, leaking, corroded, or compromised containers
Containers containing chemical residue
Materials with conflicting or incomplete identification
Spill-cleanup materials contaminated with hazardous chemicals

Unknown materials should be isolated, left unopened when possible, and referred to EH&S for evaluation.

Chemical Hazardous Waste Management

Proper hazardous-waste management protects employees, students, the environment, and the District from unnecessary risk and regulatory violations.

Waste Collection

Use containers that are compatible with the waste being collected.
Keep hazardous-waste containers closed except when adding or removing waste.
Do not intentionally evaporate hazardous waste as a means of disposal.
Do not dilute hazardous waste to avoid regulatory requirements.
Segregate incompatible wastes.
Keep hazardous-waste accumulation areas orderly and clearly identified.
Do not combine wastes unless their compatibility and disposal requirements are known.

Labeling

Hazardous-waste containers must be appropriately labeled in accordance with applicable California requirements and District procedures.

At a minimum, personnel should:

Clearly identify the contents of the container.
Avoid unexplained abbreviations or unidentified mixtures.
Identify the applicable waste hazards.
Record required accumulation information when the waste becomes subject to accumulation-time requirements.
Keep labels legible and visible.

Contact EH&S if you are uncertain which label or accumulation date applies.

Accumulation Time Limits

Hazardous waste does not have one universal 180-day storage limit.

Accumulation requirements depend on the District's generator category, the type and amount of waste, and where the waste is being accumulated. DTSC states that:

Small Quantity Generators (SQGs) generally may accumulate hazardous waste onsite for up to 180 days.
Large Quantity Generators (LQGs) generally are limited to 90 days.
Different provisions may apply to satellite accumulation areas and certain acute or extremely hazardous wastes.

Departments should arrange for waste removal through EH&S well before any applicable accumulation limit is reached.

Storage Requirements

Store hazardous-waste containers in designated areas.
Keep containers closed, upright, and in good condition.
Replace or overpack damaged or leaking containers promptly.
Use secondary containment where appropriate for the waste and storage conditions.
Segregate incompatible wastes to prevent dangerous reactions.
Protect waste from heat, ignition sources, physical damage, and unauthorized access as appropriate.
Keep accumulation areas accessible for inspection and emergency response.

Examples of incompatible materials that may require separation include acids and bases, oxidizers and flammable materials, and wastes capable of producing toxic or reactive gases when mixed.

Waste Disposal

Contact EH&S to arrange hazardous-waste pickup and disposal.
Do not place hazardous chemical waste in regular trash.
Do not pour hazardous waste into sinks, floor drains, storm drains, or other wastewater systems unless specifically authorized under an approved procedure.
Do not dispose of hazardous waste through evaporation.
Do not transport hazardous waste off campus independently.
Unknown, highly reactive, damaged, or unstable materials must be referred to EH&S before handling or movement.

Authorized hazardous-waste transport and disposal must be coordinated through the District's approved waste-management process.

Medical and Biohazardous Waste

Medical waste and biohazardous waste are regulated separately from chemical hazardous waste under California law. California requires medical-waste generators to comply with the Medical Waste Management Act and applicable local or state registration, storage, treatment, and disposal requirements.

Until Cabrillo establishes and publishes a formal District biosafety or medical-waste program, employees should not use this webpage as an operational procedure for treating or disposing of biological or medical waste.

Questions involving sharps, blood or body-fluid waste, cultures, tissues, specimens, or other potentially regulated medical or biological waste should be referred to EH&S for case-specific guidance.

Spill or Hazardous-Waste Emergency

For a hazardous-waste spill or release:

Stop work and alert nearby personnel.
Keep others away from the affected area.
Evacuate or isolate the area when conditions warrant.
Do not attempt cleanup unless you are trained, the hazards are known, and the spill can be safely managed under an established procedure.
Call 911 for major, uncontrolled, or immediately dangerous releases.
Notify EH&S at 831-234-5804.
Follow the District's Spill Response procedures for cleanup, exposure evaluation, and incident reporting.

Do not enter an area with unknown airborne conditions or use respiratory protection unless the activity has been evaluated and authorized under the District Respiratory Protection Program.