Sludge Watch ==> When is recycling not recycling? - Nuclear waste 'recycled'

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

This is the dark side of the 'recycling' gambit...well known to sludge 
fighters.
Take toxic waste and 'recycle' it back into the environment.  Hiding under a 
'greenie' rock
this is the slithering of hazardous materials into 'recycled' material ... 
like recycled sludges, composts, and soil ammendments.

This is malicious policy indeed.  So those fresh faced urban 'zero waste' 
types should sit up straight and pay attention.

.......................................................
When is recycling not recycling?
Posted by Sarah Kraybill Burkhalter

04 May 2007


The following is a guest post from Natalie Troyer, publications and 
volunteer coordinator at Heart of America Northwest.


GRISTMILL MAGAZINE
-----

Sheryl Crow -- who was joking, people -- recently suggested that folks use 
"only one square [of toilet paper] per restroom visit, except, of course, on 
those pesky occasions where two to three could be required."

A nice, but impractical, proposal -- much like the Department of Energy's 
imprudent pitch to "recycle" nuclear waste at the Hanford Nuclear 
Reservation in Washington state.

That "r" word implies that we can just stick those thousands of gallons of 
radioactive sludge by the side of the road and some Richland, Wash., garbage 
person in a big green truck will take it away to Neverland.

Well, let's not go sprinkling any pixie dust just yet.


The Bush administration says it wants to recycle used commercial nuclear 
fuel to produce more electricity, while destroying waste that would 
otherwise be disposed of at a national repository like Nevada's Yucca 
Mountain, the long-term performance and capacity of which are in serious 
question.

Under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), Hanford is one of 11 
sites across the nation proposed for a recycling center and a reactor to use 
the recycled fuel. Together, they'll create up to 8,000 new jobs. 
Apparently, the notion of added employment opportunities has outweighed 
rationality.

Hanford is the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere. Nearly 18 
years into cleanup, we are still more than a decade away from having the 
capability to begin immobilizing Hanford's 53 million gallons of high-level 
waste. Yet, all the while, Hanford's underground storage tanks continue to 
age and deteriorate, posing a grave threat to the Columbia River, the 
surrounding community, and future generations of Pacific Northwest citizens.

And that word "recycle"? Don't be fooled by this malicious synonym for 
reprocessing, which is what created the 55 million gallons of nuclear waste 
sitting in leaky tanks.

Yes, GNEP makes some amazing claims in terms of its potential to reduce 
waste volumes. But it's kind of like ordering one of those greasy, fast-food 
bean burritos. They look and smell incredible coming out of the 
drive-through window and into the palm of your hand. But 20 minutes later, 
you're in the bathroom with indigestion, wishing you'd stuck with that 
99-cent side salad. (Admin: don't count on that 'side salad' to be toxin 
free!!)

Well, if Hanford is chosen as a facility to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, 
we're all going to need a large bottle of antacids. Importing or producing 
large volumes of new waste at Hanford, when the site still has a long way to 
go before it resolves its current waste problems, is lunacy. We cannot mask 
the current problems at Hanford by creating more jobs and adding more waste 
to a site that already poses colossal environmental problems for generations 
to come.

I've wondered if DOE's just trying to pull our leg with this whole "Hanford 
as a GNEP facility" stunt. I'm half expecting to get a press release in my 
inbox with "Psych!" as the subject line.

Until then, say "no" to GNEP at Hanford. Tell Captain Hook and his pirates 
to retract their harebrained plot to further contaminate Hanford and the 
Columbia River. Send an email to Mr. Timothy A. Frazier, GNEP PEIS Document 
Manager.

Let's clean up our existing mess so our grandchildren don't have to.

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/5/3/155436/6967