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What We Do

Photo: Truck hauling demolition debris

Using our cost-effective, streamlined waste factory approach, UCOR ensures that we safely and properly dispose of the waste we manage in a manner that meets federal and state criteria. Much of our waste comes from the demolition activities we conduct as we clean up the Oak Ridge Reservation. We also process legacy transuranic waste from the Oak Ridge Reservation.

The waste operations teams work to reuse or recycle waste whenever possible. However, if reuse/recycling is not appropriate, we dispose of waste at the onsite facilities we manage. Only a small percentage of waste is shipped offsite for disposition.

OVERVIEW

UCOR manages an immense level of waste from demolition and other activities critical to the success of UCOR’s cleanup operations. Waste management involves proper identification, segregation, removal, transportation, and disposal. Under UCOR’s previous contract, we handled significant levels of waste:

Cubic Yards of Waste Disposed

1.3 Million

Miles Traveled

Over 7 Million

Square Feet of Facilities Demolished

6.6 Million

Photo: Workers backfilling former demolition site

Where Waste Goes

  • Environmental Management Waste Management Facility: The Oak Ridge Reservation’s primary waste disposal site, which has received most of the waste from demolition activities at East Tennessee Technology Park and continues receiving waste from demolition activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. It is permitted to receive low-level (radioactive), hazardous, chemical, and mixed wastes.
  • Oak Ridge Reservation Landfills: Receives sanitary waste and clean demolition debris.
  • Transuranic Waste Processing Center: Processes legacy defense-related research waste.
  • Off-site disposal: Used for a small percentage of the waste that does not meet onsite acceptance criteria.
Photo: Workers backfilling former demolition site
Aerial photo of the site of the future Environmental Management Disposal Facility

Future Waste Disposal

In August 2023, ground was broken for the new Environmental Management Disposal Facility. The new disposal facility, also known as EMDF, is needed because the current EMWMF Landfill has less than 20% of its capacity available for cleanup waste. With hundreds of facilities still needing to be demolished on the Oak Ridge Reservation, EMDF will allow major cleanup projects to move forward at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. Site construction is targeted for completion in 2029. (Read latest EMDF fact sheet.)

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