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Hanford Nuclear Site Turns Radioactive Waste into Glass, Marking Cleanup Milestone
2 Oct
Summary
- Hanford site produced plutonium for nuclear arsenal during 20th century
- Waste now being turned into glass, a safer and more stable form for storage
- $30 billion spent on vitrification plants to process low and high-level waste
As of October 3rd, 2025, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in southeastern Washington state has reached a significant milestone in its decades-long cleanup efforts. For much of the 20th century, this sprawling complex was the primary producer of plutonium for the United States' nuclear arsenal, from the first atomic bomb to the arms race of the Cold War.
Now, after over $30 billion in investment and years of planning, Hanford is turning its vast stockpile of liquid nuclear and chemical waste into a much safer substance: glass. State regulators have just issued the final permit needed for workers to remove waste from often-leaky underground tanks, mix it with additives, and heat it to over 2,000°F. This mixture then cools in stainless steel vats, solidifying into a stable glass form that is still radioactive, but far less likely to seep into the surrounding soil and rivers.
This development marks a critical step in addressing Hanford's legacy as the nation's most polluted nuclear waste site. For decades, the facility dumped effluent directly into the nearby Columbia River, contaminating the local ecosystem. Now, the focus has shifted to the complex and expensive task of cleaning up the site's 177 giant underground waste tanks, more than a third of which have leaked in the past. The vitrification process will help immobilize this hazardous material, making it safer to store as the long-term decommissioning of the Hanford site continues.
