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Transuranic / Mixed Transuranic Waste
Transuranic waste results from activities involving the handling of
plutonium or other man-made elements heavier than uranium, hence the
name "trans" or "beyond" uranium. Items such as
contaminated laboratory gloves, tools, and other debris from production
facilities make up the majority of the transuranic waste stored at the NTS.
Transuranic waste is one of several types of waste handled at the Nevada
Test Site.
From January 2004 – November 2005, 48 shipments consisting of 1,860
drums of legacy transuranic waste were shipped from the Nevada Test Site
to the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico, where
the waste was permanently disposed. Approximately 20 drums of original
inventory were disposed at the NTS as low-level waste. The majority of
the inventory was generated as part of a United States nuclear weapons
research and development program at the Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory near Oakland, California.
In order for transuranic waste to be disposed of at the WIPP it must
meet the facility’s waste acceptance criteria which includes a rigorous
waste characterization process. All Transuranic/Mixed Transuranic Waste
that remains will be shipped to another DOE facility for certified
characterization and shipment to WIPP. Of the remaining waste streams,
104 drums and 58 oversized boxes are Transuranic/Mixed Transuranic waste.
The Visual Examination and Repackaging building is being modified to allow
workers with hand-held equipment to size reduce the waste inside the
oversized boxes and package for shipment to another DOE facility. Some
drums require repackaging and further characterization prior to shipment
off-site. Complete of the Transuranic Waste Sub-Project is scheduled for
the end of fiscal year 2008.
Refer to the following Fact Sheet for more information:
Transuranic Waste at the Nevada Test Site [PDF, 209 KB]
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