Waste management systems approach

The entire system is based on a tiered approach where three layers of technology are integrated into the overall treatment system, as illustrated in Chart 2. First, a distributed process control system is network linked to the various component subunits of the waste management system such as pH control, ion-exchange control, tank level control, etc. Next, are the recovery/treatment processes themselves. The final tier is a monitoring system which controls both the performance of the treatment systems and the discharge assurance of the plant effluent... 

On risk reduction, the RC-GC commits signatories to utilise clean and safe technology, establish partnership across the value chain, minimise waste, and assess product stewardship practices, whilst GPS recommends measures to complete risk characterisations and risk management recommendations for chemicals in commerce, establish global product stewardship guidelines and develop a management system approach for implementation. 

Application of the RADWASS requirements and recommendations will help provide a framework of certainty within which to build waste management systems but it is still essential to maintain a flexible approach and, using the mining analogy, to probe ahead and be prepared to adapt in light of changing Imowledge and circumstances. 

Management and disposal of the wide variety of hazardous wastes has been aided by the development of waste classification systems. The term waste classification refers to broadly defined waste categories related, for example, to properties of waste materials, potential risks to human health that arise from waste management or disposal, or the source of the waste. Ideally, hazardous wastes in the same class should pose similar risks to human health and, thus, require similar approaches to safe management and disposal. 

Over the last several decades, separate classification systems have been developed for radioactive and hazardous chemical wastes based on a variety of considerations, the most prevalent being the source of the waste. These classification systems have served their intended purpose of facilitating development of health-protective strategies for waste management and disposal reasonably well. However, they have exhibited a number of shortcomings and undesirable ramifications, which indicate that a new approach to classification of hazardous wastes would be beneficial. 

NCRP undertook a study of waste classification because of the importance and visibility of hazardous waste management in the United States coupled with the observation that the existing classification systems for hazardous wastes are increasingly complex and inefficient. This determination led to the independently conceived alternative approach to hazardous waste classification described in this Report. 

Similar considerations apply to the discussions of approaches to risk management in Section 3.3. Readers who are knowledgeable about principles of radiation protection may not be familiar with the different approach to health protection used for hazardous chemicals, and vice versa, and an understanding and resolution of the different approaches to risk management is important in developing a comprehensive and risk-based waste classification system. 

This Section discusses approaches to risk management that are used in protecting the public from exposure to radionuclides and chemicals that cause stochastic responses in the environment. Different approaches to management of stochastic risks are used for radionuclides and chemicals. An understanding of the two approaches, including their differences and ways in which these differences can be reconciled, is important in developing a comprehensive and risk-based hazardous waste classification system. 

An essential consideration in developing a risk-based waste classification system is the levels of acceptable risk that should be assumed in classifying waste. Therefore, an important concern in developing a comprehensive waste classification system is the different approaches to management of stochastic risks that have been used for radionuclides and hazardous chemicals. 

In essence, the approach to protecting public health and the environment under AEA has been based on numerical standards that specify acceptable overall performance of a radioactive waste management or disposal system. The standards for acceptable system performance are in the form of limits on radiation dose to members of the public or other related criteria. Radioactive waste generators and radioactive waste management and disposal facilities are afforded considerable flexibility in meeting these standards, and there are few prescriptive technical requirements that apply to all facilities. 

Such incongruities only serve to confuse the public (Wiltshire and Dow, 1995), and this confusion leads to mistrust that is manifest in unwarranted obstruction of the facilities and activities required to manage hazardous wastes. A straightforward, consistent system based on a few simple principles would serve to make waste classification and approaches to waste management more transparent and understandable. 

NCRP reiterates that the risk-based waste classification system developed in this Report does not, and cannot, obviate the need to establish waste acceptance criteria at each hazardous waste disposal site based on the characteristics of the site, the particular disposal technology, and characteristics of the wastes that are intended for disposal at the site. NCRP expects that most waste that would be assigned to a particular class will be acceptable for disposal using the associated type of disposal technology indicated in Figure 6.1. However, the disposal capabilities of particular sites and engineered systems can vary substantially and can depend on the waste characteristics. The primary function of any waste classification system is to facilitate development of cost-effective approaches to waste management and disposal and effective communication on waste matters (see Section 2.1.2). 

NCRP recognizes that if the waste classification system described in this Report is to gain acceptance, it must be broadly compatible with current approaches to management and disposal of hazardous wastes. However, NCRP believes that development of a new waste classification system to address deficiencies in the existing systems should not be constrained by provisions of current laws or regulations... 

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