At Los Alamos National Lab, they’ve been busy handling a lot of old waste. This stuff includes radioactive and hazardous waste from years back that they needed to get rid of properly to keep everyone safe. Surprisingly, they shipped off more waste than they even generated, which is a good thing!
A Big Cleanup
In the last fiscal year, they handled about 817 containers of radioactive trash, the kind you get from nuclear weapons research. But get this: they actually disposed of way more than they made—885 containers in total! These went off to a special underground place in New Mexico for nuclear waste.
Clearing the Way
Taking out these old drums of waste has been a huge deal, especially for the folks working in the Plutonium Facility. This cleanup has helped the Lab focus on making plutonium pits for the country’s security plans and other important missions.
Big Thanks to the Team
The folks in charge of shipping these waste containers off-site have been key players in making this happen. According to Nestor Trujillo, the leader for Hazardous Material Shipping, it’s been a team effort involving everyone from the workers to the drivers.
Different Types of Waste
Besides radioactive stuff, they’ve sent out a bunch of other waste too—over 5,700 containers in fact! This included hazardous waste like chemicals used in labs, low-level radioactive waste which is not so intense, and even some New Mexico special waste.
Keeping Things Safe
One big achievement was their top-notch safety record. Despite all the shipping, they didn’t get a single violation notice from any of the waste disposal facilities they work with or the Department of Transportation. Pretty impressive!
A Job Well Done
Pat Kennedy, the Waste Management Services leader, was pretty stoked about the progress. They managed to exceed their goals for getting rid of waste, doing it even faster than expected. According to Kennedy, they’re always looking for ways to improve how they handle this stuff.
Celebrating Success
Ronnie Garcia, the head of the Waste Management division, was proud of the team’s accomplishments. They’ve been making things better and more efficient, aiming for top-notch operations. This progress has been a real success story for them.