Richland, Wash. — Employees at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the “Vit Plant,” donated more than 4,000 toys and over $10,000 to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots campaign at an event this morning. Marines from Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion, were on hand to accept the donation.
“I am pleased to be back for a second year at the Vit Plant Toys for Tots event,” Captain Christopher Johnson said. “Again, this is the largest donation from a single employer, and on behalf of the Marines Corps Reserves, I thank you. Your gifts will help many children have a brighter holiday season.”
The Vit Plant’s nearly 3,400 employees rallied to collect the more than 4,000 toys, which include 500 bicycles and helmets. Bechtel and URS, the contractor and principle subcontractor for the Vit Plant, also made $5,000 in corporate donations to the Toys for Tots organization. Employees raised an additional $5,000.
Because employees surpassed last year’s donation, several Vit Plant senior managers attended the event dressed as various holiday characters, including Santa and his elves. Last year, Vit Plant employees donated 3,500 toys, including 200 bicycles, and $8,000.
“Toys for Tots is an important program, and the Vit Plant is proud to support it and the Marines Corps Reserves,” Ty Troutman, manager of construction, said. “Once again, our employees have demonstrated their incredible generosity and made me proud to be a part of the Vit Plant project.” Troutman also thanked the Marines for their service.
Local businesses Griggs/Ace Hardware and Vintners Logistics also contributed to the Vit Plant’s efforts. Griggs/Ace Hardware ensured the bicycle orders were fulfilled, and Vintners Logistics provided transportation for the toys and bikes.
Vit Plant employees are committed to supporting the local community and have donated nearly $640,000 to area organizations and charities. These include the United Way of Benton and Franklin Counties, March of Dimes and Second Harvest.
Bechtel National, Inc. is designing and building the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment plant for the U.S. Department of Energy at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. The $12.2 billion Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant, also known as the “Vit Plant,” will immobilize the radioactive liquid waste currently stored in 177 underground tanks using a process called “vitrification.”
Vitrification involves blending the waste with molten glass and heating it to high temperatures. The mixture is then poured into stainless steel canisters. In this glass form, the waste is stable and impervious to the environment, and its radioactivity will dissipate over hundreds to thousands of years.
The Vit Plant will cover 65 acres with four nuclear facilities — Pretreatment,Low-Activity Waste Vitrification, High-Level Waste Vitrification and Analytical Laboratory — as well as operations and maintenance buildings, utilities and office space.
Construction of the Vit Plant began in 2001 and is more than 60 percent complete. The project is scheduled to complete construction in 2016; will reach commissioning in 2019 and achieve full operations in 2022.