This guide was developed to assist campus departments in disposing of waste materials generated by official University operations. These procedures do not apply to the disposal of personal or household wastes. Personal property should not be brought on
campus for disposal since the University must pay for all wastes that are disposed of. The University is subject to very strict regulations regarding the disposal of almost anything. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, State of Hawaii Department o
f Health, City and County of Honolulu, and private landfills all have their own rules and regulations that apply to various types of waste material and these rules change frequently. As an example, the City and County has banned all ferrous metals, glass
, and appliances from its landfills and H-Power plant. In addition, cardboard and green waste is limited to ten percent (10%) of each load. Potential penalties include fines, rejection of entire loads and denial of access to the disposal facilities. Al
l the trash from the campus' building dumpsters is taken to the H-Power plant, therefore each department must assist in assuring that wastes are properly segregated and disposed of appropriately.
The University has its own garbage truck and refuse crew. Contents from
refuse dumpsters are loaded into the garbage truck and the loads are
compacted (crushed) inside the truck. This is why the following materials
should not be placed in the refuse dumpsters:
- Lumber / Metal - even a short piece can cause the compactor blade in the truck to jam.
- Wet / Liquid wastes - containers containing liquids are often broken during the compacting process and leak out of the truck or splash onto our refuse workers.
- Unpackaged glass - the glass may shatter during compaction posing a hazard to our refuse crew.
- Powdery material - such as sawdust, ash, etc. should be double bagged to prevent release in truck during compaction.
- Regulated Waste (hazardous, biological, radioactive) - it is
illegal to dispose of regulated waste in the municipal waste stream.
For more detailed waste disposal procedures, please refer to the
specific Waste Categories.