Disposal of Electron Tubes

[Tad_Blanchard@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov]

Good Day RADSAFERs:

This has probably cropped up before, but I would like to get the proper 
information on what to do with old electron tubes which contain small 
amounts of Cobalt-60, Cesium-137, etc.  

When I was in the USAF, a Technical Order allowed us to dispose of them 
as "ordinary trash", as long as the tube was placed into its original 
box when thrown out.

At my facility here at NASA, our Radiation Safety Committee mandated 
that we collect all old tubes and place them in "holding" status and 
dispose of them as radioactive waste whenever our disposal broker makes 
a pickup.  Disposing of the tubes in this way will insure that we do not 
place ANY radioactive materials in local landfills.

These are two extremes.  

WHAT IS THE PROPER (LEGAL) WAY TO DISPOSE OF THIS TYPE OF WASTE? 

****************************** /^\   /^\ ******************************* 
Tad Blanchard                 /___\ /___\     NASA-Goddard Space Flt Ctr 
Nat'l Health Svc, Inc              O             Greenbelt, Maryland     
Sr Health Physics Tech            / \            Phone: 301-286-9157     
                                 /___\                                   
                      Tad.Blanchard@GSFC.NASA.gov                   
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