Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship by ramping up recycling efforts at the Savannah River Site (SRS), resulting in substantial reductions in waste and cost savings.

With its most recent recycling projects, SRS is on track to surpass last year’s recycling efforts by fiscal year-end. In FY24, SRNS recycled over 26 million pounds of materials, significantly contributing to operational efficiency at the Site. The materials included an estimated 19.5 million pounds of concrete and asphalt waste, 5.3 million pounds of scrap metal, 881,000 pounds of office paper, and 383,000 pounds of office furniture. Additional recycling initiatives focused on batteries, consumer electronics, toner cartridges, used tires, used oil, refrigerants and universal wastes.

"Our comprehensive recycling initiatives underscore our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and supporting cost- effective waste management," said Jennifer Weedon, SRNS Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship.

“One of our recent and notable efforts included the recycling of five switchgear transformers, each weighing 100,000 pounds.” After reaching the end of their 70-year lifespan, the five 115-kilovolt transformers were excessed and donated to the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) in March.

“The recycling of these components mitigates safety and congestion issues in active construction zones and also aligns with the Department of Energy’s [DOE] push for effective resource utilization,” said Andrew Ellsworth, SRNS Utilities and Operating Services. “Given the transformers’ large size
and valuable components, they were perfect resources to allocate to SRSCRO.”

SRNS excessed five transformers and donated them to the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization. Since 1993, SRSCRO has reutilized DOE surplus property and equipment from SRS, making them available at reasonable prices to organizations that create jobs and support economic development in our region.

“In addition to supporting the local community, recycling through SRSCRO saves the Site from incurring landfill disposal and handling costs,” said Randy Keenan, SRNS Director of Site Services. "It's a win-win for In another recent project, SRS filled three 30-yard roll-off containers and two 12-yard skid pans with scrap metal from the Site’s River Water Pumphouse, which were subsequently sent to the Site Salvage Yard. In total, over 47,000 pounds of scrap metal were recycled— the vast majority of which came from internal switchgear components that had exceeded their design life inside the pumphouse.

The Site’s diverse recycling efforts span various programs, ensuring that valuable
items are recycled through commercially acceptable practices in alignment with DOE directives.

Upcoming projects will focus on decommissioning and recycling abandoned steam and power lines that were installed during the 1950s and 60s when SRS was operating at full capacity. These efforts aim to
reduce the Site's footprint by recycling still- usable materials and mitigating potential hazards.

"Our proactive approach to recycling ensures that we remain at the forefront of responsible stewardship," concluded Ellsworth. "We are proud of our achievements and committed to continuing these efforts in the future."