Radioactive solid waste disposal

Solid wastes containing radioisotopes with half-lives greater than 120 days are collected
in white 5-gallon polypropylene pails lined with heavy plastic yellow liners.

Use this pail for solid wastes with half-lives > 120 days

Short-Lived Solid Waste (Decay-in-Storage Waste)

Solid wastes containing radioisotopes with half-lives of 120 days or less are collected in
pails within laboratories and then transferred to a campus storage facility, known as the
Decay-in-Storage (DIS) Facility. These wastes are held for a minimum of ten half-lives
and then surveyed. If no detectable radioactivity is found, the waste is then disposed of as
non-radioactive medical waste.

Decay-In-Storage Waste with Very Short Half-Lives (< 15 days)

Example: P-32

Solid wastes containing radioisotopes with half-lives < 15 days are collected in the lab
in gray 5-gallon polypropylene pails lined with heavy plastic yellow liners.

Use this pail for your P-32 solid waste.

Decay-In-Storage Waste with Moderately Short Half-Lives (between 15 - 120 days)

Example: P-33, S-35, I-125
Solid wastes containing radioisotopes with half-lives between 15 and120 days are
collected in the lab in blue 5-gallon polypropylene pails lined with heavy plastic yellow
liners.

Use this pail for P-33, S-35 and I-125 solid wastes.

Prohibitions

Put your syringes, razor blades, pasteur pipettes and other sharps into a sharps box
and then put the box into the radioactive waste pail!

• No unprotected sharps
• No liquids, except for droplet amounts and damp materials
• No hazardous chemical wastes
• No animal wastes
• No contained sources (see the section below about contained source disposal)
• No lead (such as lead pigs and lead shielding)

Radioactive Gels
Radioactive gels should be disposed of in the solid radioactive waste bins and not down
the sink. They do not need to go in a secondary container in the solid waste bins.

Disposing of Contained Sources

In a contained source, the radioactivity is present in a form that is not easily dispersible
due to its design characteristics. For example, the radioactivity may be encapsulated in a
welded capsule, embedded into a matrix or plated onto a surface. Contact EHS prior to
disposing of contained sources. Special waste packaging and disposal arrangements may
be necessary.

Liquid Waste
Liquid radioactive waste generated on campus may be disposed of through laboratory
sinks if certain regulatory and University conditions are met.

• Sink Location
You must use the pre-approved Radioactive Disposal sink in your lab. As shown
in the photo above, the sink will be clearly labeled with Radioactive labeling.

• Solubility and pH
The compounds you dispose of either be readily dispersible biological
materials or must be aqueous or readily soluble in water. Refer to the list
of Radioactive Compounds Approved for Drain Disposal. If any of your
compounds do not appear on the list, contact EHS for a solubility determination.
The pH of your waste must be 5-9.

• Limiting Contamination
Pour close and into the drain and run water for a minute after the disposal.
• Recording & Reporting Disposals
Every time you dispose of radioactive waste to the sink, you must record your
disposal on the lab's Sink Disposal Log and estimate the amount of radioactivity
released (see the Resource sidebar to download the form). At the end of each
calendar year, EHS will request that your lab report the total amount of
radioactivity released per isotope for that calendar year.
• Estimating the Amount of Radioactivity in Your Disposal
You may consult with members of your own lab to estimate what percentage of
the radioactivity is expected to end up in the liquid waste. You may also contact
EHS to collect samples of your liquid waste. EHS will perform liquid scintillation
counting of your samples and will provide you with radioactivity concentrations.
 • Radioactive Gels
Radioactive gels should be disposed of in the solid radioactive waste bins and not
down the sink. They do not need to go in a secondary container in the solid waste
bins.

https://ehs.princeton.edu/laboratory-research/radiation-safety/radioactive-
materials/radiation-safety-manual