Risk and recycling: The Department of Energy's environmental restoration program

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is faced with the largest environmental cleanup task ever to confront the United States. As a result of more than 40 yr of defense production activities throughout the United States, numerous problems exist at DOE sites. The DOE is responsible for waste management, environmental restoration, and corrective activities associated with radioactive, hazardous, or mixed wastes at 110 sites in 32 states and 1 site in Puerto Rico. Over the next 30 yr, as DOE completes its environmental restoration and waste management mission, the environmental restoration program is likely to become the world's largest generator of radioactive and mixed waste. This paper provides a brief description of the DOE program and specific recycling initiatives. It also identifies limitations to accomplishing the department's goals as well as activities under way to address these limitations.