Avoidable Waste Management Costs at DOE Facilities

Prepared by:
Los Alamos National Laboratory. Charles E. Teclaw (LANL), AnnetteYoungblood (LANL), Russell Kidman (LANL), and James Betschart (HAZWRAP).

Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Energy, Division of Waste Minimization (EM-352)

Application:
Financial analysis: ---
Environmental impact analysis: ---
Waste management/P2:
Environmental cost listing/database: ---
Cost estimation:
Alternative product/process comparison: ---

The objective of this study was to develop order-of-magnitude estimates of current waste management costs at DOE facilities. Low level radioactive, mixed low level, transuranic and hazardous waste types are analyzed. The methodology and the data sources could be useful for other projects as well. However, the cost information presented in the report will now be dated, and may have little or no application for non-DOE projects.

Development/publication date and updates:
March 29, 1993. The report itself has not been updated. DOE is currently working on another related project: "Baseline Environmental Management Report" (Beamer). This report aims to analyze waste generation over a period of 75 years, for different waste types, and estimates costs of cleanup.

Public availability:
Available

Purpose and current use:
This study was commissioned by EM-352 to meet the objective of generating preliminary estimates of "business as usual" waste quantities and waste management costs in a timely manner. The main objective of this method was to provide a basis for pollution prevention expenditures by quantifying the costs that would be avoided as a result of such investments.

Cost information:
The report is currently available through LANL at no charge. The "Baseline Environmental Management Report" is also available free of charge through EM-4.

Contents and system requirements:
DOE Cost References, Tabulated Estimates of Waste Management Costs

Summary of methodology

Low-level radioactive waste, mixed low-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, and hazardous waste are considered. For the purposes of the study, knowledge of the precise chemical makeup of the waste stream is considered to have no affect on the cost. The objectives of this study were to identify life-cycle components for the four waste types, estimate the corresponding costs, and develop order-of-magnitude estimates of the costs of managing future waste at DOE facilities.

Life-cycle stages covered

Raw materials acquisition ---
Manufacturing ---
Use/reuse/maintenance ---
Recycle/waste management

The inputs and outputs considered make up only part of the life-cycle as follows:

The study concentrates on estimating costs considered over the waste life cycle, as the physical inventories related to DOE waste streams are fairly well documented. The manufacturing stage is not check-marked as our definition of the stage is different.

Type of costs considered

Conventional
Potentially hidden
Contingent ---
External ---

The costs considered include capital costs, operation and maintenance costs, overhead (insurance, rent, administration, personnel, accounting, etc.), and post-operational costs. Future liability, increased regulatory compliance costs, potential technology forcing legislation, and all externalities are specifically omitted.

Method of cost estimation

Dollar figures are associated with waste generation through disposal activities. Waste volume information was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy Integrated Data Base. Many cost data sources within DOE and the private sector are listed. Total DOE waste management costs for the four designated waste types were estimated through the year 2030.

Generation of financial indicators

Net present value (NPV) ---
Payback period ---
Internal rate of return (IRR) ---
Benefits cost ratio ---
Other ---

Attributes

The appendices provide cost per cubic foot data for each type of waste. A subsequent report, Factors That Can Drive Future Avoidable Waste Unit Costs, discusses how changes in management practices can affect disposal costs at Sandia National Laboratories. There is some discussion of the estimating methods utilized, and cost assumptions and information sources are provided for every cost element.

Limitations

The study provides "low and high" cost data which bracket the range of expected costs. Because the cost data for a waste type are due to variations within that type (such as waste form) and site-specific characteristics, the cost data does not represent a population. Other waste types, such as D&D and high radioactive waste were not addressed in the report. Since a full range of hidden, contingent and external costs are not included in the analysis, waste management costs could be underestimated. Future costs are not projected.

Basis for evaluation:
The information provided here is based on a profile of the tool presented in Weitz et al. (1994). Subsequent reviews were done by incorporating information obtained through telephone communications with LANL, DOE (EM-352 andEM-4) and Charles Teclaw in May, 1995.

Contact information:
Report number - LAUR-93-1154. The "Baseline Environmental Management Report" is available through EM-4: Report number - DOE-EM-0232.

Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545

For copies of the report:
Classification department
505-667-5011

Charles Teclaw
RW-34, DOE
1000 Independence Avenue
Washington, DC 20585

Charles.Teclaw@HQ.DOE.GOV
202-586-7292

James K. Hancock (EM-352)
301-903-1378

For information on the "Baseline Environmental Management Report":
Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis (EM -4)
202-586-9280

For copies of the "Baseline Environmental Management Report":
800-736-3282

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