Old smoke detector disposal

[aczlan]

A lot of subtitle d landfills have Geiger counters on the scales that will reject a load for one smoke detector or an old microwave

The local scrap yard has Geiger counters on the scales to catch people who bring in concrete, microwaves, etc.

Aaron Z

 

[atomchaser]

In reality, the amount of radioactivity in a smoke detector is trivial and not a health concern. The concern is when you get thousands of them in the landfill and the radioactive material starts to show up in the leachate.
As was said, many landfills now have radiation gate monitors. They won't pickup your smoke detector however. They pick up larger sources and lots of nuisance stuff like short half life medical isotopes. Many hospitals have similar detectors on their facilities to avoid sending stuff to the dump that will get caught. Having done it a few times, dump surveys and dumpster diving are not much fun and the landfills have taken to fining facilities that send stuff that trips their alarms.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Our thing is if they hear one they have to investigate it. I got my MOLO for sub title D landfills and at an exercise we had to sort a wet load. I like my rubbish site better lol. They said one thing was adult diapers of radiation therapy patients would set them off.

 

[Retiredguy2]

The local scrap yard has Geiger counters on the scales to catch people who bring in concrete, microwaves, etc.

Aaron Z

Respectfully inquiring here how a microwave oven can emit radiation when it is not plugged in? My OP dealt with smoke detectors of the ionization type that are known to contain a tiny amount of radioactive material. To my knowledge a microwave has no radioactive materials in it's construction.

 

[aczlan]

Respectfully inquiring here how a microwave oven can emit radiation when it is not plugged in? My OP dealt with smoke detectors of the ionization type that are known to contain a tiny amount of radioactive material. To my knowledge a microwave has no radioactive materials in it's construction.

Good point, I wasn't thinking and was replying to Taylortractornut who mentioned them.

Aaron Z

 

[OldMasterTech]

There is presently no federal regulation of smoke detectors. It is recommended that you return them to their manufacturer, if they are still in business, but it is permissible to discard as MSW (household waste).

Do not put with e-waste as recyclers are not licensed/permitted to handle radioactive material and accumulating a quantity of detectors in a small area puts them into a regulatory position.

Just a comment on the microwave ovens, radiation is only present when the magnetron tube is running. There is no residual radiation once power is removed. The reason recycling is recommended is to recover the capacitor for proper disposal. If the unit is very old the capacitor may be PCB contaminated and must be incinerated in an EPA approved furnace.

 

[OldMasterTech]

There is presently no federal regulation of smoke detectors. It is recommended that you return them to their manufacturer, if they are still in business, but it is permissible to discard as MSW (household waste).

Do not put with e-waste as recyclers are not licensed/permitted to handle radioactive material and accumulating a quantity of detectors in a small area puts them into a regulatory position.

Just a comment on the microwave ovens, radiation is only present when the magnetron tube is running. There is no residual radiation once power is removed. The reason recycling is recommended is to recover the capacitor for proper disposal. If the unit is very old the capacitor may be PCB contaminated and must be incinerated in an EPA approved furnace.

 

[MarkF48]

This is a few years old from FEMA's site.....
Disposal of Fire/Smoke Detectors - US Fire Administration

 

[madamos]

To the best of my recollection microwave ovens use electromagnetic (EM) radiation to heat and there is no ionizing radiation ie alpha/beta or Gama involved.

Microwaves, along with radio waves from (you guessed it) radio and cell phone towers, are all types of non-ionizing radiation.

 

[Taylortractornut]

I need to bring that up in the next swana class. They kept hammering us about not taking them because of radiation and not the pcb. I know mdeq freaked out on old guy was hauling waste from a remodeling company and putting it in a hollow and burying it. He was getting a ton of smoke alarms. They were gonna let him cap it and monitor but found a over 100 smoke detectors in the first 3 feet of excavation. Got expensive after that