Radioactivity - radioactive waste
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Radioactive waste management involves dealing safely with the wastes from processes involving radioactivity. This waste comes from a number of sources, and ranges from paper towels used in hospitals to nitric acid solution formed as a result of reprocessing nuclear fuel.
Most radioactive waste is currently stored safely on major sites under license from the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and is subject to strict regulatory control.
For an overview of what radioactive wastes there are, see:
- The UK radioactive waste inventory (on NDA website)
High and intermediate level wastes
In October 2006, following recommendations made by the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), the Government published a response accepting CoRWM’s recommendations that geological disposal, preceded by safe and secure interim storage, was the best available approach for the long-term management of higher activity radioactive wastes.
Following further consultation, Government published a White Paper Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A Framework for Implementing Geological Disposal on 12 June 2008.
Solid Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW)
A review by the UK Government and the devolved administrations of the long term management of the UK’s solid low level radioactive waste (LLW), has been completed and a revised policy statement was published on 26 March 2007.
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Page last modified: 12 June 2008