Kobe University

Reference Edition for Enrolled Students

Environmental Management Guidebook
Kobe University is committed to reducing waste, reusing resources, and reducing energy consumption in order to minimize our greenhouse gas emissions. Kobe University is also working hard to monitor the drainage water discharged
from the University and to ensure it contains no harmful substances. These
measures cannot succeed unless every member of this 20,000-strong University
works on an individual basis to meet our environmental goals. A little care on adaily basis from each individual will add up to a great difference for the environment.
Charter on Environment(Adopted 26 September 2006)(Environmental Philosophy)
As a world-class research and education institution, Kobe University pledges itself,
through all of the university’s activities, to the preservation of the global environment
and to the creation of a sustainable society, the two most important challenges the world
faces today.
Located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rokko Mountains, Kobe University utilizes
this regional locality to its advantage for the fostering of environmentally-conscious students and the dissemination of knowledge gained from academic research to the world.
Through these efforts, and by setting an example in the preservation of the environment,
Kobe University pledges to build a path toward the realization of a sustainable society as
a common goal of humanity.
(Environmental Policies)
1. To foster and support environmentally-conscious students
2. To promote research to create and sustain the global environment
3. To promote environmental preservation activities that set an example for others- 1 -Sorting & Collecting Garbage
Basic Vision
Kobe University has a number of campuses that are located within the boundaries of several
local authorities, but most of the university lies within Kobe City. Kobe University is considered
to be a place of business by these local authorities, rather than a general household, so the garbage that the university products is not collected by a local authority garbage truck. Collection
and disposal of the garbage produced on campus is outsourced to a garbage disposal company.
This means there are a number of differences in the way that garbage is treated and sorted incomparison to procedures for general households. The guidelines here give the commonly applicable points to garbage collection in all the campuses located in Kobe City. By following theserules, garbage is necessary to be correctly sorted and collected. These efforts help reduce theenvironmental burden as well as the cost of garbage treatment and disposal at Kobe University.
For those campuses located outside of Kobe City, the garbage sorting and collection rules for the
relevant local authority should be followed. The garbage sorting rules outlined here are theminimal rules that apply to all schools and graduate schools of the University. Additional rules
may be in place in specific schools; where such rules are in place, these should also be followed.
The garbage collected by the garbage disposal company is taken to Kobe City garbage repositories and industrial waste treatment facilities used by the relevant garbage disposal companies. Most of the garbage will be taken to Kobe City repositories, so in principle the garbage
sorting rules are identical to those for general household garbage.
Kobe City issues a guide to garbage disposal for general households (Rules for Sortingand Putting Out Garbage and Recyclables). On the other hand, Kobe University carries
out to sort and collect garbage based on the rules for business; they are slightly different
to those for general households, so please be aware of these differences.

Sorting Garbage: an Outline
In Kobe City, garbage is sorted into 6 categories (Burnable Garbage, Non-burnable Garbage,
Gas-cartridges·Spray-cans, Cans·Bottles·PET-Bottles, Container Plastics and Trays, and Oversized Garbage) and put out to collection areas known as Clean Stations. There are two othercategories which must not be put out to these Clean Stations, namely home appliances including
personal computers, necessary to be recycled under “Home Appliance Recycling Law”, and Paper wastes, necessary to put out with local recyclables group’s collection. Thus, there are totally
8 categories. At Kobe University, some of these categories have been integrated, and a new category, laboratory waste, has been added. In total there are 8 categories: Burnable Garbage, Oversized (Non-burnable) Garbage, Gas-cartridges·Spray-cans, Recyclable (Cans·Bottles·PETbottles), Recyclable (Paper Wastes), Large Garbage, Home Appliance Recyclables, Laboratory
Wastes. Further details are provided on the following page. (For facilities outside Kobe city,follow the method of the local government to which you belong.)☆ On Kobe University Campuses ☆
In the gangways and corridors ofcampuses located in Kobe City, you
should find garbage containers marked
variously: Burnables, Non-burnables,
Cans, Bottles, PET Bottles, etc. Someschools and graduate schools haveseparate garbage containers for the
PET bottle caps. Garbage should be
sorted according to the classifications
outlined on the following page. If you
are unsure what to do with your rubbish, please ask the student office inthe department.

- 2 -Garbage Classification for Campuses located within Kobe City
Burnable Garbage

Oversized (Non-burnable) Garbage

・Items should be burnable, less than 50 cm on any side.

・Non-burnable garbage small enough to fit in the designated bag for business.
・Items comprising a combination of Burnable and Non-burnable garbage.
・Burnable garbage with any one side greater than 50 cm
in length and small enough to fit in the designated bag.

(These should be placed in Burnable Garbage containers or in ‘Burnable Garbage’ bags designated for business by Kobe City and placed in the designated collection point.)
Lunch box packaging, instant noodle cups
Plastic products including stationary● Small size and/or amount of polystyrene● Kitchen waste● Cloth, clothes● Paper waste (dispose as Recyclable (Waste Paper) as far as
possible)●●

Recyclable (Cans·Bottles·PET-bottles)
・Empty cans, bottles and PET-bottles used for drinks
or foodstuffs.

(These should be placed in Non-burnable Garbage containers or in ‘Oversized (Non-burnable) Garbage’ bags
designed for business by Kobe City and placed in thedesignated collection point.)
Ceramics, glass (sharps should be wrap in paper and attach a
notice saying “DANGER”.)● Small pieces of metal, wire, wire mesh, chains (sharps should
be wrap in paper and attach a notice saying “DANGER”.)● Home electrical appliances (those items which Home Appliance Recycling Law does not apply to and fit in the designated bag.)●(These should be sorted into the items shown below
and placed in specified recycling containers.)
Empty cans
● Empty bottles● PET-bottles (Labels and caps should be placed in Burnable
Garbage containers.)●

Gas cartridges ・Spray cans
Releases all gases outdoors and do not make a hole.

Large waste
・Burnable or Non-burnable garbage too large to fit in
the designated bags.

Recyclable (Paper Wastes)
・Corrugated cardboards, office papers, newspapers,
magazines, other paper wastes.
(These should be sorted into the items shown below
and placed in the designated collection point. Coatedpapers are disposed as Burnable Garbage.)
Corrugated cardboards
Office papers● Newspapers (including newspaper inserts)● Magazines● Other paper wastes (wrapping papers, brochures, etc. Shredded paper is placed in plastic bags and put out .)●●Home Appliance Recyclable(These should be placed in the designated collection
point after contacting student office in the relevantschool or graduate school.)
Large furnitures (desks, chairs, bookshelves, etc.)
Large plastic products (boxes, etc.)● Large size and/or amount of polystyrene● Home electrical appliances (those items which Home Appliance
Recycling Law does not apply to and are too large to fit in thedesignated bag.)● Experimental equipment (restricted to those which do notcontain hazardous substances.)●●

Laboratory waste
・Wastes generated at laboratories.

・Home appliance recyclables (as set out in Home Appliance Recycling Law.)(These should be sorted into the items shown below
and placed in the designated collection point. )(These should be placed in the designated collection
point after contacting student office in the relevantschool or graduate school.)●●PCs, air conditioners, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

Among healthcare wastes, infectious wastes, etc. arehighly recommended to consult to student office of thedepartment.
Place in the designated bags for business,
provided by Kobe City.
Do not place in the designated bags.

Small size wastes generated by experiments, whether burnable or non-burnable (to be placed in plastic bags approx. 45 lin capacity.)● Empty regent bottles (to be placed in plastic bags approx. 45
l in capacity after washing and drying; do not remove the label.)● Empty 18-liter square cans used for reagents (remove all of
the remaining liquid.)● Glass, pieces of metal, needles, etc. (sharps should be wrap in
paper or placed in can and attach a notice saying “DANGER”.)＊For detailed instructions, you should consult to student office of the department.
＊Mercury-based products such as fluorescent tubes
should not be mixed with others.

- 3 -Handling Procedures for hazardous waste liquids, wastewaters and wastes at Kobe Univ.
Wastewater discharged to the sewage system is broadly classified as laboratory wastewater anddomestic wastewater. Laboratory wastewater refers to wastewater produced from washing equipment used in experimental laboratories. Domestic wastewater includes wastewater from toilets,
washrooms, kitchenette sinks, kitchens, student dormitories, canteen kitchens, and showers at
sports facilities. The following flow chart shows the handling procedures for hazardous waste liquids, wastewaters and wastes at Kobe University. For further details, please see the safety guidelines provided by relevant department. Acceptable concentrations of various hazardous substancesin the public sewerage system are governed by legislation and are detailed on page 7.
Hazardous liquid wastes
Hazardous waste liquids are hazardous chemical liquids
and rinse waters from triple-rinsing of labware (or sixtimes rinsing when it contains mercury). For further details of hazardous chemicals, please see the safety
guidebook provided by the department.

Laboratory wastewater

External waste
disposal service

Custom waste liquid tank
Diluted chemical solutions such as HCl, H2SO4 andNaOH are allowed to drain to the drainage systems,
when they do not contain hazardous components.
Sterilized culture solutions are allowed to drain to
the domestic drainage system.

Laboratory drainage
systemWastewater
monitoring tank

Neutralizing
aeration tanks

Prohibited discharges are as follows: 1) hazardous liquid wastes, 2) highconcentrated organic liquids, 3) biohazardous liquids, 4) solid or semi-solid
wastes, 5) solutions having a pH of less than 5.5 or greater than 8.5, 6) oils

Laboratory

Domestic wastewater

Public seweragesystemDomestic drainage
systemProhibited discharges are as follows: 1) hazardous liquid wastes, 2) rinse
water with hazardous materials 3) biohazardous liquids, 4) solutions having
a pH of less than 5.5 or greater than 8.5

Store & treatment withinlaboratory / department

Waste reagents and infectious wastes

Quasi-infectious waste
Specific solid wastes
Spent silica gel

Please see http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/cema/

Laboratory wastes

External waste
disposal service

Store & treatment within
department

Other sinks /toilets

Public seweragesystemHandling Procedures for hazardous waste liquids, wastewaters and wastes at Kobe University

Handling and Storing of Hazardous Liquid Waste
Laboratory waste is categorized according to the chart on page 5: Pharmaceutical Waste Liquid
Recovery Classification Chart on page 6. At Kobe University, any waste generated by education and/or research must be sorted and stored according to pre-determined procedures as required for its
treatment. An external waste disposal service is then given the task of further treatment, once thisinitial sorting and storage has been completed. In some cases, it can be difficult to determine the exact
nature of liquid discharge generated by an experiment. For this reason, the person with the best understanding of the nature of the experiments to be carried out should carry out appropriate preprocessing (initial processing) before any waste liquid is allowed to be generated. If there is any doubt as
to how a waste liquid should be appropriately sorted or stored, the Center for Environmental Management should be contacted for details on appropriate sorting.

- 4 -Sorting and Storing Laboratory Waste Liquid
Dos & Don’ts in Sorting & Storing Waste Liquid
1. Store all waste liquid in custom waste liquid tanks provided by
Kobe University (see image).
2. Store mercury wash water up to and including the sixth batch;store other wash waters up to and including the third batch.
3. Fill in the request slip clearly and accurately with the following
information: name of representative waste handler, classification
number, volume (L), main substances, and pH. In some cases,classification number or volume may be changed by dependingon the judgment of the center.
Kobe University Custom Waste
4. Neither tanks containing waste liquid containing unidentified or Liquid Tank
unknown substances nor tanks with incorrect or incomplete request slips will be collected.
5. The waste liquid should be 5 L or more, not to exceed 20 L. Please contact the Center for
Environmental Management if you wish to store less than 5 L of waste liquid.
6. Screw the lid on tightly, to prevent any leakage. Do not use damaged tanks.
7.Put trays under tanks not to contaminate the floor when the contents spill.
8. Only reuse the tanks to store waste liquid from the same classification.
9. In the case of mixed waste, request slips should indicate the main substances contained
within the waste, and relevant classification indicated. (For oil-based liquid waste, classification should be according to lowest flash point)
10. Osmium, thallium, and beryllium (Classification I-3) should not be mixed with otherheavy metals and should be sorted in separate tanks.
11. Mercury or mercury compound content waste liquid listed in Classification II-3 should
be an inorganic mercury waste fluid of 1000 ppm or less of mercury concentration. Anyorganic mercury compound should be never included in waste liquid.
12. Substances listed in Classification II-12 should only be present in minute amounts (mg/
L levels). If levels are not minute, the waste liquid should be classified as IV.
13. Oil-based waste liquid must never be mixed with heavy metals.
14. Waste reagents are not classified as waste liquid.
15. High BOD waste liquid should be classified as I-1 or I-2 and if it contains any destructive fungi , sterilize it.
16. Formalin aqueous solution should be classified as I-1.
17. Aqueous solutions containing ethidium bromide should be classified as I-3 when containing heavy metal. If no heavy metal is present, classify as either I-1 or I-2 according to
pH. Gels can be collected as solid laboratory waste after being vaporized.
18. In principle, waste liquid should not contain any solid items (sediment, pieces of glass,pipette chips).
Any questions should be directed to the Center for Environmental Management(E-mail: cema@research.kobe-u.ac.jp, Tel: 078-803-5991)- 5 -Pharmaceutical Waste Liquid Recovery Classification Chart
Classification I) Aqueous ordinary waste liquid
Classification
Ⅰ-１

Classification III) Oil-based, ordinary waste liquid

Substances contained
Acid waste liquid (2<pH≦7) other thanthose listed in Classification II

Ⅰ-２

Alkaline waste liquid (7<pH<12.5) otherthan those listed in Classification II
・Photographic developing solution

Ⅰ-３

Waste liquid containing heavy metal otherthan those listed in Classification II-3
through II-9
・Photographic fixing solutions
・Osmium・Thallium, beryllium

Ⅰ-４

Waste liquid containing fluorine
Waste liquid containing boron

Classification II) Aqueous waste liquid requiring
special management
Classification

Substances containedClassification

Substances contained

Ⅲ-１

Waste liquid other than those listed inClassification IV with a flash point of 70°C
or more(e.g. solutions containing organic solvents)

Classification IV) Oil-based waste liquid requiring
special management
Classification

Substances contained

Ⅳ-１

Waste liquid with a flash point of less than 70°C
(e.g. solutions containing organic solvents)

Ⅳ-２

Waste liquid containing trichloroethylene

Ⅳ-３

Waste liquid containing tetrachloroethylene

Ⅳ-４

Waste liquid containing 1,1,1-trichloroethane

Ⅳ-５

Waste liquid containing 1,1,2-trichloroethane

Ⅳ-６

Waste liquid containing dichloromethane

Ⅱ-１

Strongly acidic waste liquid (pH2 or less)

Ⅱ-２

Strongly alkaline waste liquid (pH12.5 or more)

Ⅱ-３

Waste liquid containing mercury or mercury
compounds*

Ⅱ-４

Waste liquid containing cadmium or cadmium
compounds

Ⅱ-５

Waste liquid containing lead or lead compounds

Ⅱ-６

Waste liquid containing organophosphorus

Ⅳ-７

Waste liquid containing 1,1-Dichloroethylene

Ⅱ-７

Waste liquid containing hexavalent chromium
compounds

Ⅳ-８

Waste liquid containing 1,2-Dichloroethane

Waste liquid containing arsenic and arsenic
compounds

Ⅳ-９

Waste liquid containing 1,3-Dichloropropene

Ⅱ-８

Ⅳ-10

Waste liquids containing cis-1,2Dichloroethylene

Ⅱ-９

Waste liquid containing selenium and selenium compounds

Ⅳ-11

Waste liquids containing benzene

Ⅱ-10

Waste liquid containing cyanogens compounds

Ⅳ-12

Waste liquids containing carbon tetrachloride

Ⅱ-11

Waste liquid containing simazine
Waste liquid containing thiuram
Waste liquid containing thiobencarb

Ⅳ-13

Waste liquids containing 1,4-Dioxane

Ⅱ-12

Waste liquid containing trichloroethylene
Waste liquid containing tetrachloroethylene
Waste liquid containing 1,1,1-trichloroethane
Waste liquid containing 1,1,2-trichloroethane
Waste liquid containing dichloromethane
Waste liquid containing 1,1-Dichloroethylene
Waste liquid containing 1,2-Dichloroethylane
Waste liquid containing 1,3-Dichloropropene
Waste liquid containing cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene
Waste liquid containing benzene
Waste liquid containing carbon tetrachloride
Waste liquid containing 1,4-Dioxane- 6 -*Mercury or mercury compound content waste liquid listed
in Classification II-3 should be an inorganic mercury waste
fluid of 1000 ppm or less of mercury concentration. Anyorganic mercury should be never included in waste liquid.
When you request the waste liquid treatment, the submission of the certificate which 1000ppm or less is required.

Sewage Discharge Standards (water quality regulation value)
１）Substances that pose a risk to human health
Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds
Category

Discharge Standards

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds

10 pg-TEQ/Lor less

Others (mg/L or less) * Based on “Water Pollution Control Law”. The value is total amount of ammonium (multiplied by 0.4), nitrite and nitrate.
Discharge Standards

Discharge Standards
HigashiNada/Chuo/
Port Island
TarumiTreatment
Treatment
Area
Area

Higashi-Nada/
Chuo/Tarumi
Treatment Area

Port Island Treatment Area

Cadmium and cadmium
compounds

0.03

0.03

1,1,1-Trichloroethane3

3

Cyanide compounds

0.7

0.3

1,1,2- Trichloroethane

0.06

0.06

Organophosphorous compounds

0.7

0.3

Trichloroethylene

0.1

0.1

Lead and lead compounds

0.1

0.1

Tetrachloroethylene

0.1

0.1

Hexavalent chromium compounds

0.2

0.1

1,3-Dichloropropene

0.02

0.02

Category

Arsenic and arsenic compounds

Category

0.1

0.05

Thiuram

0.06

0.06

Mercury, alkyl mercury

0.005

0.005

Simazine

0.03

0.03

Alkyl mercury compounds

To be undetected

To be undetectedThiobencarb

0.2

0.2

Polychlorinated biphenyl

0.003

0.003

Benzene0.1

0.1

Dichloromethane

0.2

0.2

Selenium and other compounds

0.1

0.1

Carbon tetrachloride

0.02

0.02

Boron and other compounds

230

230

1,2-Dichlorethane

0.04

0.04

Flourine and other compounds

15

15

1,1-Dichloroethylene

11

1,4-Dioxane

0.5

0.5

cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene

0.4

0.4

Ammonia, ammonium, nitrite
and nitrate compounds

100 *

100 *

２）Substances that pose a risk to the living
environment
Category

Discharge Standards

Phenols

5 mg/L or less

Steel and steel compounds

3 mg/L or lessZinc and zinc compounds

2 mg/L or lessIron and iron compounds (soluble)

10 mg/L or lessManganese and manganese compounds (soluble)
Chromium and chromium compounds (soluble)

10 mg/L or less
2 mg/L or less３）Conditions that may damage facilities or equipment
Category

Discharge Standards

Temperature

Less than 45°C

Iodine consumptionLess than 220 mg/L

* Does not apply to facilities producing
500 m³ or less of wastewater per month** At the Port Island Treatment Area, aconcentration of half this total is criterion for exclusion４）Conditions & substances that may impact sewage treatment facilities
Category

Discharge Standards

Potential Hydrogen (pH)More than 5 – less than 9*Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

2,000 mg/L or less

*Suspended solids (SS)

2,000 mg/L or lessn-hexane extract
content*a) animal/vegetable oil and fat content

150 mg/L or lessb) Mineral oil content

5 mg/L or lessNitrogen

1,200 mg/L or less**

Phosphorus

160 mg/L or less**- 7 -Promoting Energy Saving
Turn off lights, air conditioners, computers, and experimental equipment at the switch
when required. Help prevent the wasteful use of energy<Lights: save energy>
・Turn off unnecessary lights when leaving rooms and in corridors during daytime.
<Coolers and air conditioners: save energy>
・Turn off coolers when leaving a room; try to keep its use to a minimum
・Keep normal room temperature at 19°C for heating and at 28°C for the air conditioning
・Don’t rely on the air conditioner alone; dress appropriate to the season
・Use blinds during the summer to keep direct sunlight out and reduce the use of the air conditioner
・Close windows and doors when the air conditioner is in use to reduce the level of air conditioning required
・When using the air conditioning, use heat exchange ventilation; at other times, open the windows or conduct other ventilating actions
・Always clean air conditioning filters before the change of each season<Computers & lab equipment: standby energy saving>・Unplug computers, OA equipment and experimental equipment whenever you can; reduce
standby energy
・Turn computers, printers, copy machines and other OA equipment to energy saving mode.
<Elevators: energy saving>・Don’t use elevators when you don’t need to; take the stairs instead<Toilets: water saving & energy saving>・Save water when using the toilet by only flushing when required
・Close the lid on Western-style toilets after use to save energy

28

Turn off unnecessary lights

19
Turn things off, switch to sleep mode
Take the stairs where you can
Keep room temperature at 28°C
in summer, 19°C in winter

Make every day an energy saving day- 8 -Center for Environmental Management
URL : http://www.research.kobe-u.ac.jp/cema/
E-mail : cema@research.kobe-u.ac.jp
TEL : 078-803-5990 , 078-803-5991
Address：1-1 Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe
657-8501, Japan

Revised edition , 2024