Kumamoto University
Environmental Safety Center

The research and medical care activities conducted at Kumamoto University Produces many waste products. Much of this can be divided into two major categories of "general waste" and "industrial waste." Of these, "industrial waste" includes special chemicals that are particularly harmful. The Environmental Safety Center collects and disposes of waste materials produced by research as "experimental waste."

Kumamoto University collects and disposes of all the liquid waste it produces that cannot be discharged into the public sewer system as "experimental liquid waste." With the exception of liquid waste that includes infectious or radioactive substances, the Environmental Safety Center regularly collects and classifies experimental liquid waste into the two main categories of "organic liquid waste" and "inorganic liquid waste."

Collected "organic liquid waste" is classified into six types: "general liquid waste," "hazardous waste solvents," "nonflammable liquid waste," "highly flammable waste," "waste oils," and "other organic waste." Collected "inorganic liquid waste" is classified into eleven types: "mercury waste liquids," "chromium waste liquids," "cadmium waste liquids," "lead waste liquids," "cyan waste liquids," "heavy metal waste liquids," "acidic waste," "alkaline waste," "photographic fixer liquids," "photographic development liquids," and "other inorganic liquid waste."

All liquid waste from experiments has its hazardous elements rendered inert by external specialists through either incineration or neutralization via reduction before finally being solidified in concrete and buried. Recycling of silver from "acidic waste," "alkaline waste," "photographic fixing liquids," and "photographic development liquids" is also conducted.

Research conducted at Kumamoto University occasionally produces waste products that could possibly include hazardous substances. The Environmental Safety Center collects these materials as "experimental solid waste." Experimental solid waste is rendered harmless via incineration by external specialists. Bottles and 18-liter drums that contain chemicals are also recycled.

The Environmental Safety Center collects and disposes off or recycles "waste chemicals" that are of no further use as well as things such as fluorescent light bulbs and batteries that are considered general waste. Several classified documents produced by the university are all disposed en masse before witnesses at each department by shredder trucks provided by the Environmental Safety Center in order to guarantee confidentiality.