Waste classification system association with disposal

The waste classification system developed in this Report includes a general class of exempt waste. Waste in this class would contain sufficiently small amounts of hazardous substances that it could be managed in all respects as if it were nonhazardous (e.g., as household trash). NCRP intends that exempt materials could be used or disposed of in any manner allowed by laws and regulations addressing disposition of nonhazardous materials. However, exempt waste would not necessarily be exempt for purposes of beneficial use without further analysis of the risks associated with anticipated uses. Materials could be exempted for purposes of disposal or beneficial use based on similar considerations of acceptable risk. However, based on differences in exposure scenarios for the two dispositions, limits on the amounts of hazardous substances that could be present in exempt materials intended for beneficial use could be substantially lower than the limits for disposal as exempt waste. Thus, disposal may be the only allowable disposition for some exempt materials based on considerations of risk. In addition, some exempt materials may consist of trash, rubble, and residues from industrial processes that would have no beneficial uses and must be managed as waste. 

To address the limitations of the waste classification system described above, new recommendations on waste classification were developed (IAEA, 1994). A particular aim of the new system was to associate waste classes with intended disposal technologies (options), at least to some degree. The recommended classification system includes the following three major classes of waste exempt waste, low- and intermediate-level waste, and high-level waste. These waste classes and the associated disposal options are summarized in Table 4.2 and described as follows. 

A number of alternatives to the qualitative and source-based classification system for radioactive waste in the United States have been proposed. The alternative waste classification systems have three important features in common. First, they are comprehensive, in that NARM waste and nuclear fuel-cycle waste are included in the same classification system. Second, they are based on the concept that waste classes should be defined primarily on the basis of risk, particularly the risk resulting from waste disposal. Finally, to some degree, they associate waste classes with particular disposal systems that are expected to be generally acceptable. None of these features is embodied in the radioactive waste classification system in the United States. In addition, some proposed classification systems include an exempt class of radioactive waste that contains negligibly small amounts of radionuclides. Waste in this class would be regulated in all respects as if it were nonhazardous. A general class of exempt waste is not included in the radioactive waste classification system in the United States. 

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