Waste Disposal at Universities

[Kent Lambert <lambert@hal.hahnemann.edu>]

I was wondering how other radiation safety offices at universities handle the cost of 
radioactive waste disposal.  Here are the questions:

1.  At your facility, does the RSO pay for disposal and charge the researcher prorata  
based on volume generated?

    a.  How does one assure that waste is not hidden away (e.g., in a closet) to 
        avoid charges?

    b.  Does this lead researchers on with little grant money to dispose of waste  
        in alternative, less expensive waste streams (e.g., regular trash)?

    c.  If a principle investigator (or a whole department) leaves the institution
        and leaves radioactive waste or contamination which results in the 
        generation of radioactive waste who pays for the disposal?

2.  At your facility, does the researcher pay for the cost and the RSO only act as the 
facilitator by negotiating the contract with the broker, arranging for pick-ups, etc.

3.  At your facility, is waste disposal a part of the RSO budget?

    a.  How does one encourage waste minimization?

    b.  Does this encourage researchers to put expensive waste stream materials
        (e.g., chemical waste) that they are charged for into radioactive waste
        resulting in mixed waste?

4.  At your facility, does the RSO collect a surcharge for the purchase of long lived 
radioactive wastes as a mechanism to collect waste disposal costs? 

These are the things that they don't teach you in your "Introduction to Health Physics" 
course.  Thank you in advance for all of the input I am about to receive.
-- 
Kent Lambert, CHP
lambert@hal.hahnemann.edu

All opinions are well reasoned and insightful.
Needless to say, they are not [necessarily] the
opinions of my employer. - paraphrased from Michael Feldman