Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to minimize hazardous waste generation through hazardous materials inventory controls; and (2) Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and General Services Administration (GSA) efforts as DOD purchasing agencies.
GAO found that 40 percent of hazardous materials designated for disposal was unused, because: (1) lengthy storage periods consumed shelf life before delivery to users; (2) the DLA direct delivery program was designed to eliminate storage time only for nonhazardous materials; (3) supply depot officials were issuing newer materials before older materials and permitting exceptions to DOD usage policy based on nonhazardous material use; (4) supply officials were not consistently evaluating hazardous materials to determine possible shelf-life extension; and (5) DOD lacked special inventory procedures for managing hazardous waste materials. GAO also found that GSA was considering expansion of its direct deliveries to include 200 additional hazardous materials with short shelf lives.
