Aerial photo of the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility circa November 2021.

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility in Hanford’s 200 West Area was constructed to process drums and boxes of low-level waste and transuranic waste for permanent disposal. 
 
WRAP crews inspect, treat, characterize, and repackage (if necessary) drums and boxes of waste that are removed from Hanford’s burial grounds. Repacking occurs in special “glove boxes” to protect crews from exposure to potentially radioactive materials.  
 
Characterization includes x-raying each drum to determine what is inside and documenting what is found. This is necessary determine if repackaging is required and to ensure any waste sent to another location for disposal meets the acceptance criteria of the receiving facility.
 
Low-level waste processed at WRAP will be disposed of on the Hanford Site. Transuranic waste processed at the facility will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for disposal.

Characterization work includes the process of x-raying the contents of each drum to determine what is inside and documenting what is found. Technicians write down the contents of each drum and, in some cases, do a voice recording during the process where they give a kind of “play-by-play” of what they see as they x-ray the container. This kind of work is necessary to ensure that any waste sent to another location meets the acceptance criteria of the facility where the waste will be permanently disposed of as well as if the waste requires re-packaging.

Low-level waste that is processed at WRAP will be disposed of on Site. Transuranic waste that is processed at the facility will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for disposal.