As the principal lab for the development of nuclear weapons, Los Alamos has generated a lot of radioactive waste, much of which has been disposed of on site. There are officially 24 Material Disposal Areas, used for either radioactive or hazardous wastes, or both. Area G is the largest of these areas, which over the years has had highly radioactive fission products, plutonium, and spent nuclear fuel disposed of there. As with many of the older disposal sites at Los Alamos, some clean-up has occurred, but is not necessarily complete. Area G also houses waste temporarily, for shipment to WIPP and other possible future disposal areas.
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