RECYCLING ANALYSIS AT THE HANFORD SITE

This paper summarizes a joint venture between the DOE D&D Focus Area, the DOE Center of Excellence for Metals Recycle, and the DOE Office of Pollution Prevention to identify recycle and reuse opportunities at the Hanford site. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a life cycle analysis system to assist DOE in identifying and analyzing opportunities for equipment and materials reuse and recycle. This paper presents the use of the life cycle analysis system to identify and analyze methods for disposition of surplus railcars at the Hanford site. Alternative possible disposition pathways were evaluated for their financial, health and safety, environmental, programmatic, and institutional impacts; and a preferred disposition pathway was identified.