But all the programs combined generate enough waste that Argonne has special programs to handle and dispose of it properly. For disposal, containers of similar chemicals are packed in Vermiculite inside 55-gallon drums. Ill. In fiscal year 2000, Argonne research generated about 29,000 gallons of hazardous waste. These containers are labeled and shipped by truck to the U.S. Department of Energy's site in Richland, Wash. for disposal. Argonne research generates about 8,000 cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste a year.
Mixed waste is hazardous waste that is also radioactive.
Typically, it is a liquid chemical that contains dissolved low-level radioactive materials, or radioactive debris that contains a regulated hazardous waste. Argonne research generates about 1,000 gallons of mixed waste a year. Under federal law, Argonne has developed and submitted to the state of Illinois a plan for treating existing and future mixed wastes. The plan describes a number of methods for treating mixed wastes. Mixed-waste containers are labelled and shipped by truck to licensed, commercial treatment and disposal facilities in Richland, Wash., and Clive, Utah.