The Savannah River Site (SRS) continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship by ramping up recycling efforts, resulting in substantial reductions in waste and cost savings. The site is on track to surpass its fiscal year 2024 recycling efforts in the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30. In the previous fiscal year, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) recycled over 26 million pounds of materials, significantly contributing to operational efficiency at SRS. 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 other waste.
“Our comprehensive recycling initiatives underscore our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint and supporting cost-effective waste management,” said Jennifer Weedon, with the SRNS Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship division. 鈥淥ne of our recent and notable efforts included the recycling of five switchgear transformers, each weighing 100,000 pounds.鈥�
SRNS donated the 115-kilovolt transformers to the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO) after they reached the end of their 70-year lifespan. 鈥淭he recycling of these components mitigates safety and congestion issues in active construction zones and also aligns with the Department of Energy鈥檚 (DOE) push for effective resource utilization,鈥� said Andrew Ellsworth, with the SRNS Utilities and Operating Services division. 鈥淕iven the transformers鈥� large size and valuable components, they were perfect resources to allocate to SRSCRO.鈥�