What happens to low level nuclear waste in the United States?

Low-level radioactive waste (LLW) is generated by (i) commercial operations such as nuclear power plants, hospitals, and research institutions, and (ii) by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) operations. It includes radioactive materials used in various processes as well as supplies and equipment that have been become contaminated with radioactive material or have become radioactive through exposure to neutron radiation.1

Low-level waste typically consists of contaminated protective shoe covers and clothing, wiping rags, mops, filters, reactor water treatment residues, equipment and tools, luminous dials, medical tubes, swabs, injection needles, syringes, and laboratory animal carcasses and tissues. The radioactivity can range from just above background levels found in nature to very highly radioactive in certain cases such as parts from inside the reactor vessel in a nuclear power plant.2

Low-level waste is typically stored on-site through licenses issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The waste remains on-site until it has decayed away and can be disposed of as ordinary trash, or until amounts are large enough for shipment to a LLW disposal site in containers approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Low-level nuclear waste is stored and managed at several designated facilities across the United States. These sites are regulated by the NRC and state authorities under the framework of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act of 1980, which assigns responsibility for disposal to individual states or interstate “compacts.” A compact is a formal agreement among two or more states to cooperatively manage and dispose of LLW within a designated regional facility. For example, the  Atlantic Compact are South Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey who ship their LLW to the disposal site in Barnwell, South Carolina.

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The waste is typically buried in trenches located in geologically stable regions with low risk of earthquakes, flooding, or other natural hazards, and are often sited in arid climates to reduce the risk of water infiltration. The trenches have specially designed liners and covers. Waste is placed in steel drums or concrete vaults, and the air, land and water surrounding the site is monitored for leaks and contamination.

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Low-level waste is measured by several indicators. The radioactive decay rate, or simply “activity,” is measured to assess a waste’s potential hazard. Weight is important for transportation safety and engineering stability at disposal sites.

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1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLRW),” accessed December 8, 2024, https://iwaste.epa.gov/guidance/radiological-nuclear/low-level-wastenergyinst.org/statistical-review

2 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “Low-Level Waste Disposal,” accessed December 8, 2024, https://www.nrc.gov/waste/llw-disposal.html

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