Audit Report: IG-0426

September 3, 1998

Disposal of Low-Level and Low-Level Mixed Waste

The Department of Energy (Department) is faced with the legacy of thousands of contaminated areas and buildings and large volumes of "backlog" waste requiring disposal. Waste management and environmental restoration activities have become central to the Department’s mission. One of the Department’s priorities is to clean up former nuclear weapons sites and find more effective and timely methods for disposing of nuclear waste. This audit focused on determining if the Department was disposing of low-level and low-level mixed waste in the most cost-effective manner.