The Material Recycling Facility is planning to hold special clean-up and recycling events around the Laboratory. Solid Waste Operations (FWO-SWO) and Pollution Prevention (RRES-PP) will sponsor the clean-up days with support from the facility management teams at technical areas. "Not only is this the right environmental thing to do, but these special clean-up and recycling events can help decrease safety and security incidents while increasing worker productivity," said Monica Witt of RRES-PP.
During these events, employees are encouraged to clean their work spaces and recycle such items as non-classified / non-sensitive white paper, shredded sensitive documents, mixed paper, cardboard, plastic drink bottles, aluminum cans and scrap metals from non-radiation control areas. Surplus equipment also can be dropped off at the time of the clean up, said Witt.
Waste management coordinators will be available to answer hazardous waste-related questions and assist with disposal. However, no hazardous, radioactive, or biological waste will be accepted, said Witt.
Starting July 14 at Technical Area 35, the events will rotate to Lab technical areas and last one or two days depending on the size of the area. The following items will be accepted during the first clean-up:
- Furniture, monitors, keyboards, cables and miscellaneous office supplies (items should be boxed);
- All bar-coded items (computers will be picked up from drop point locations in order to sanitize them for salvage);
- Unclassified / non-sensitive MS A1000 recyclables (colored paper, flyers, brochures, transparencies, binders, books, newspaper, catalogs, magazines, junk mail, folders, phone books and toner cartridges);
- White paper and shredded sensitive documents;
- Cardboard (break down boxes);
- Aluminum cans and plastics with the Nos. 1 and 2 imprinted inside the recycling symbol;
- Clean scrap metal;
- Light bulbs, batteries, mercury thermometers and switches;
- Vacuum pumps, any oil filled capacitors, pumps, or other devices (oil and back fill cavity must be drained);
- Pallets and scrap wood.
- Hazardous, radioactive or biological waste;
- Glass;
- Hoses and cryogenic tubing.
More information about these events can be found on the Laboratory's recycle Web site at http://int.lanl.gov/recycle/ online. Employees can contact Witt at 7-8626, or mwitt@lanl.gov by electronic mail, or Leroy Chacon of FWO-SWO at 7-4165, or l_chacon@lanl.gov, with questions regarding the clean up activities.
--Chris Roybal