The purpose of this policy is to document the management and disposition of college owned property. When property is no longer useful to a department, division, or the college, or is deemed unsafe, it may be declared surplus and disposed of in accordance with this policy. Surplus property may include supplies, materials, equipment and/or furnishings. Normal waste that is generated through the course of business will be discarded through the college’s normal waste removal process.

Our goal is to dispose of college owned property when the property is no longer useful to a department or division and cannot be repurposed within the college; or is deemed unsafe for continued use. Disposal procedures will consider evaluation of environmental stewardship responsibilities by seeking reuse markets and ensure that surplus equipment is removed from buildings on campus in an efficient manner to ensure appropriate use of space for core academic and administrative needs.

• Property purchased with college funds, donated to the college, or acquired for college use through other means, is considered property of Bates College; title remains with the College at all times until asset disposal.
• Property purchased, all or in part, with federal funds, must be managed in accordance with applicable college and federal policies applicable to capital asset dispositions. Title does not reside with the Principal Investigator (PI).  Section 200.313 (e) of the Code of Federal Regulations, also known as the Uniform Guidance, details proper disposition of equipment governed under these regulations.
• Only the Treasurer of the college is authorized to donate or dispose of college owned property. College property may not be salvaged, scrapped, donated or otherwise disposed of without prior approval from the appropriate department head and the Treasurer.

Disposal by internal departmental transfer

Basic office supplies and materials, excluding computers and IT equipment, declared as surplus by any department may be offered or placed within the College so long as they are determined to meet current safety standards. Surplus exchange is facilitated by Facility Services and is available to the campus. Approval from the Treasurer is not required for reuse of these supplies and materials by internal departmental transfer. Employees should obtain approval from the department manager or academic department chair prior to an interdepartmental transfer of College supplies and materials for departmental use. Employees and/or students are not allowed to take or purchase surplus college supplies and materials for personal use. Please contact the Treasurer if there are questions about specific college equipment. Questions about safety standards can be addressed by the Director of Environmental Health and Safety.

Disposal involving parties outside the college

• Disposal of all electronic devices
  Individuals should contact the IT Service Desk when they need to dispose of any computer, printer, telephone, display or any other electronic device, see Disposal of Outdated Equipment. The IT Service Desk will retrieve the equipment. Disposal of electronic equipment is coordinated by ILS personnel.
• Disposal of books
  All College Library books are returned to the Library. Disposal of any parts of the library collection are coordinated by ILS personnel.
• Disposal of federally funded and grant funded equipment
  Additional approvals are needed from the Federal awarding agency prior to disposal of equipment in addition to the approval of the Treasurer of the College. The department must work with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance to obtain written instructions from the sponsor before the item can be surplused, moved, transferred, or disposed.
• Disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances
  Disposal of hazardous substances (chemical, biological, etc.) and equipment containing hazardous substances MUST be coordinated with the Director of Environmental Health and Safety. If you are unsure of the material or chemical, contact the EHS department for assistance. Disposal must be done in accordance with applicable DOT, EPA and DEP regulations. 
• Disposal by trade or exchange of property
  Certain items may be used as a trade-in for vendor credit with college suppliers (i.e. college vehicles or Facility Services equipment) if economically feasible and approved by the department head.
• Disposal by sale
  If an item is deemed to have some value, it may be sold either on a first come, first serve basis at a set price or open for best offer as advertised to the faculty and staff community.  Unique items with narrow or limited markets may be facilitated through a third party broker.  Sales must be specifically authorized by the Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer. Items will be sold “as is” for pickup. To preserve an appropriate segregation of duties, proceeds from property disposals are directed to general institutional funds. Individuals responsible for management of operating budgets should not dispose of equipment/supplies/materials to influence or benefit their own operating budget.
  
  From time to time, community wide events may be coordinated by Facility Services as surplus inventories of equipment and furnishing are evaluated for disposal by the college. Public notice of these events will be provided to the Bates community. This process ensures that no one person receives preferential pricing or treatment, and will follow the process described above.
  
  Personal purchase requests from members of the college community are not accepted. 

• Disposal by donation
  Items that cannot be reused internally nor efficiently sold may be donated to other non-profit organizations with a Deed of Gift authorized by the Treasurer. Contact the Treasurer’s office for additional information.
• Disposal by waste
  Items that cannot be recycled or donated to other non-profit organizations will be discarded through the college’s normal waste removal process. All Bates staff members may use the dumpsters strategically located on campus for Bates owned waste.  A work order request to Facility Services should be submitted by the department to dispose of large items that are not readily disposed of by the user. Facility Services will coordinate disposal of these items in a centralized manner.  
  
  There is a metal recycling dumpster located in the rear of the Cutten Maintenance building that is authorized to be used for metal items only for which the college receives scrap value by weight.
  
  To deter theft and address safety issues, items that have been deposited into waste removal containers, including dumpsters, should not be removed. Please contact Campus Safety if you have questions or concerns about individuals removing items from college waste removal containers.

• Secure Disposal (Shredding)
  Disposal of confidential documents must be handled appropriately. Bates has several secure shred bins located on campus to facilitate secure document disposal. Please see Confidential Materials Shredding for more information or contact the Treasurer’s office to identify the location of the nearest bin. If a large amount of material is identified to be shredded, a special pick-up may be arranged. Requests to Facility Services for document destruction by incineration is not appropriate and will not be approved.

Special Event

Bates Clean Sweep is an authorized event where students leaving campus may dispose of surplus personal property. Personal property remaining in the Lost and Found will be disposed of at Clean Sweep. Proceeds from the event are designated for local non-profit organizations. This event ensures that no one person receives preferential pricing or treatment.