In-drum solidification of low-level mixed waste

Because of the limited treatment capacity available for low-level mixed waste, many generators are forced to develop their own treatments, or store their mixed waste on site indefinitely. While EPA estimates that it takes as much as two years and $200,000 to obtain a RCRA permit, in-container treatment is allowed without a RCRA permit in many cases. Although treating mixed waste in drums or other storage containers poses technical problems, mixed waste can be solidified in storage containers with little difficulty. Solidifying the mixed waste serves two functions: it treats the hazardous portion of the waste by making the hazardous constituents less leachable, and it removes any free-standing liquids, allowing the waste to eventually be disposed of at a low-level radioactive waste burial ground. Once solidified, the waste must then be delisted (if it is a listed hazardous waste), or the generator must show that it no longer exhibits a characteristic (if it is a characteristic waste). While in-container solidification can be a simple and inexpensive waste management alternative for generators of low-level mixed waste, it may in fact be their only feasible alternative