What sealed source disposal actually costs (and why)
A breakdown of the four cost drivers in sealed source disposal: activity, isotope, transport, and disposal pathway.
Sealed source disposal pricing varies by an order of magnitude across what look like similar projects. Four factors explain almost all of the variance.
Activity at time of disposal.Higher-activity sources require more shielding for transport and may require Type B packaging instead of Type A. The cliff between Type A and Type B authorization is significant — Type B containers cost ten to fifty times more to use.
Isotope.Cs-137 and Co-60 have well-established disposal pathways and pricing. Am-241 and other transuranics have far fewer disposal options and prices reflect the scarcity. Sr-90 sits in between.
Transport distance to disposal facility.There are only a handful of licensed low-level waste disposal facilities in the US (Andrews TX, Clive UT, Barnwell SC, and Richland WA — each with restrictions on what they accept). Cross-country transport adds meaningfully to cost.
Disposal pathway.Manufacturer take-back (when available) is almost always cheaper than commercial disposal. Some disposal vendors hold relationships with manufacturers that enable take-back even when the original purchase was decades ago.
Practical advice.Get three quotes. Ask each vendor to itemize the four factors above. Confirm in writing that the quote covers license amendment support, not just physical removal — license termination follow-through is where small projects often go sideways.
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