Waste containing both radioactive and hazardous constituents has been generated since the begining of the commercial nuclear industry. This waste has come to be known as mixed waste. When the first Federal regulations covering radioactivity were adopted, they were intended to apply to all radioactive materials, without consideration of other hazardous characteristics. During the early 1980s, State and Federal agencies began to question generators and site operators regarding mixed wastes and compliance with the requirements of RCRA. By 1995, as a result of public and congressional attention, radioactive/hazardous mixed wastes were addressed as a part of the Low-Level Radioactive Policy Amendments Act (LLRWPAA) of 1985. In 1988, the EPA assumed regulatory control of mixed waste storage and treatment facility (TSDF) permitting. Mixed wastes are now subject to joint control by the NRC/Agreement States and EPA.
NSSI is currently permitted with a
storage and processing capacity of
58,530 gallons in 20 tanks. An additional
capacity of 180,793 gallons of container
storage is provided in 5 container
storage areas. NSSI provides temporary
permitted storage services for generators
of hazardous and radioactive waste.
NSSI operated as an interim status Waste
Treatment and Storage facility from 1980
to 1990. NSSI subsequently submitted
the required Part B application and
received a final Part B permit in October,
1990.
Radioactive or nuclear waste materials (i.e., waste material which emits ionizing radiation spontaneously) which also fit the acceptable waste descriptions above.
Mixed waste generation studies have indicated that 3-10% of all Low Level Radioactive Waste is mixed waste containing both radioactive and chemical constituents. Mixed wastes are generated by many industrial, medical, and educational facilities