RE: Waste Disposal at Universities

[Herrold@uwyo.edu (Jim F. Herrold)]

Answers to your questions from the University of Wyoming:

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

Yes, our office pays the waste contractor fees and charges the departments 
for actual disposal costs (not our overhead costs) on a per kilogram basis.

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

We maintain inventory control over all radioactive materials. Each P.I. has 
a possession limit which they must justify and not exceed. Four times a year 
we inspect rad labs and make note when they have excess waste accumulation.

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

We don't believe this is a problem.

    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?

If it's an individual that leaves, the department pays. This encourages 
departments to make sure the departing P.I. follows the proper close-out 
procedures. If the whole department leaves? I don't know, that's never 
happened. We'd probably have to revert to what we did before: begging from 
the Research and Finance Offices.

Another question I'd like to tag onto this thread is this: How would or did 
other Universities recover costs for disposal of contaminated materials from 
decon and decommissioning of RSO related facilities (such as an old waste 
storage building)?

Jim Herrold, RSO
University of Wyoming
herrold@uwyo.edu