Former defense program site in Washington state exceeds recycling goals

The Hanford Site, a former U.S. defense program site that produced plutonium in Richland, Washington, has exceeded its annual recycling goals, a report by KNDO/KNDU says.

Mission Support Alliance LLC, the site services provider for the U.S. Department of Energy, also based in Richland, Washington, set a goal to divert at least 50 percent of nonhazardous material and 50 percent of construction and demolition (C&D) debris from landfills, the report says. Last year, the contractor diverted 85 percent of nonhazardous material and 59 percent of C&D debris.

The nonhazardous materila recycling program includes plastic, cardboard, paper, wood, furniture, scrap metals, electronics, toner cartridges and tires. The asphalt and wood power poles are being reused as structural foundations in road repair and fence posts, respectively. According to the report, 2,500 tons of combined material was diverted from landfill.

The Hanford Site also serves as the Centralized Consolidation/Recycling Center and accepts items such as fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and aerosol cans for recycling. Hanford workers also donated more than 795 pounds of old damaged hard hats for recycling last year and have collected more than 440 pounds as of May 2017.