The Radiation Safety Office Newsletter

Volume 3.3 For the University of Maryland Campus June 2000

Taking Care of Your Radioactive Waste

Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW) is radioactive material that is not classified as high-level waste, TRU waste, spent fuel, or uranium or thorium mill tailings. All radioactive waste that is not high-level radioactive waste is low-level radioactive waste. Radioactive Waste is a radioactive material or substance contaminated with radioactive material and is useless and has no economic value. These definitions follow from the low level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1986.

Absorbent Paper, lab wear and equipment, that is contaminated and cannot be cleaned constitutes radioactive waste. In many labs this waste is stored temporarily on the bench in smaller containers and then transferred to drums or carboys as pictured at the right. The segregation of your waste is vitally important to the final disposition and resting place for radioactive waste accumulated on the campus. The procedures for handling your waste can be found at the DES web site at: Procedures Manual

The UM Waste Disposal Guidelines is a flip chart posted in every lab that generates waste. This chart contains a matrix, which defines the segregated categories of waste. The chart is easy to follow and convenient to use. Short lived, moderate half-life and long half-life materials are kept separate depending on their physical form. For example, aqueous liquids may be stored together but solids must be separated. And in every case all containers must be labeled and an inventory maintained on the outside of the container.

Electronic notification of pickups is now available through the DES web site. Users register using their ID number at: Pickup waste.

If you have any questions or would like assistance in handling your waste you may email: Steve Hand or John Follum.

We would greatly appreciate your feedback about this site.

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