Jenkintown Borough just issued a notice that “low level radioactive waste” was detected in the trash stream as it arrived in the transfer station. As a result, the truck carrying the waste had to be quarantined, emptied, the material identified and removed.

Republic believes that the curbside trash in question is being collected from the Washington Lane, Walnut Street, Township Line Road or Summit Avenue area. They feel the detection may be caused by improper disposal of items contaminated with residual medical waste. There are several medical care procedures that utilize low level radio active materials, the most common being chemotherapy. 

Republic Services reported that the readings while low level, were apparently caused by a product designed for bodily waste disposal and or personal hygiene. While these items are normally disposed of in the regular curbside collection, when an individual is undergoing medical procedures that utilize low level radio active elements, those items must then be properly disposed of with all other medical waste.

The Borough claims it could be liable for the cost of this process should it continue.