Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

January 16, 2004

Environmental surcharge on hold, pending campus talks

by Linda Charles
A 3 percent surcharge on regulated materials to help build a new campus waste handling facility did not go into effect on Jan. 1 as planned. Instead, input on the proposed plan will be gathered during spring semester.

Local, state and federal regulations require proper handling and disposal of many types of materials used at Iowa State. Regulated materials include chemicals, radioactive materials, biohazardous agents and toxins used in research. It also includes such things as art supplies, batteries, electronic equipment, computer hardware, laboratory equipment and supplies, medical supplies and petroleum products.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa has approved a new waste disposal facility, to be built near the Administrative Services Building on the north side of campus. The building also will house the environmental health and safety department, which is responsible for dealing with ISU's regulated materials.

Central funding will provide $4 million of the $10 million projected cost of the new facility. The remaining $6 million has been financed by a bond issue. The surcharge would be discontinued when the bonds are retired, said Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance.

The university's current waste handling facilities no longer can handle the amount of regulated materials used in research and non-research activities, he said.

If the university doesn't properly handle regulated materials, it can incur substantial fines, criminal penalties and exclusion from various sponsored project funds, Madden added.

The campus community will have an opportunity to provide input on the surcharge proposal during spring semester, Madden said. Based on that input, the surcharge proposal could be modified. The earliest a surcharge would go into effect would be July 1.