How Can Low-Level Radioactive Waste Be Minimized?
Audeen W. Fentiman Matthew E. Jorat Joyce E. Meredith Low-level radioactive waste is produced as a result of many commercial processes, and can be generated in both solid and liquid forms. Federal regulations, as well as economics, require minimizing the total amount of low-level waste produced, stored, and disposed of. The same approaches are taken to minimize low-level waste as can be taken to minimize other industrial wastes or ordinary household waste. These approaches include the three “R’s”, reduce, reuse, and recycle. First, efforts are made to reduce production of low-level waste. Next, the total volume of low-level waste that must be disposed of is decreased by decontaminating and reusing and/or recycling the non-radioactive contents of the waste. Finally, the remaining low-level waste undergoes various treatments to decrease its volume prior to storage, transportation, and disposal. This fact sheet will describe the processes used to minimize low-level radioactive waste.
