Waste handling economic impacts

A critical part of the regnlation is to rednce and, where possible, eliminate the generation of hazardons waste. Waste minimization was specifically mandated in the 1984 Hazardous and Solid Wastes Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This has had an enormous impact on the way waste is handled by printed circuit board facilities. Prevention of pollution has become the overriding goal in design with recycle and reuse technologies implemented only where pollution prevention is not feasible for technical and/or economic reasons. Chemical treatment of wastes should be utilized only where no other options exist. 

See Appendix I for a more detailed set of requirements. Specific issues include mission requirements, potential burnup criteria, heat rejection, economic resources, environmental impact, safety, technology development risk, completion schedule, repository issues, social and political acceptance, and diversion and proliferation. In addition to these issues, others that need to be considered include plutonium handling, waste disposal, environmental regulations, safety regulations and analysis, safeguards and security, technology development, economic analysis, and government and public policies. A variety of reactor concepts exists, and each concept has unique and specific concerns. The intent is not to present a complete set of requirements, but to briefly discuss a few selected issues. 

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