The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

16 September 2009

 

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is one step closer to finalising the UK strategy for the Management of Solid Low Level Radioactive Waste form the UK Nuclear Industry, after a 14 week consultation period.

The consultation ran from 5 June 2009 to 11 September 2009 and gave members of the public the chance to comment on the draft strategy, which was produced in response to revised Government policy for the management of solid Low Level Waste (LLW).

The strategy looks at ways of applying the waste management hierarchy to potentially reduce the amount of solid low level radioactive waste generated throughout the UK.

At present most of this is disposed of at the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) near Drigg, Cumbria, which has been in use since 1959 and is now close to capacity.

More space is being built and there are plans for expansion in the future. But even with all of this extra capacity (potentially 700,000 m3 subject to planning and regulatory approvals) there will still be a significant shortfall compared with the amount of waste forecast to be generated over the long term (3,000,000 m3 over 120 years).

Michael Calloway, the NDA's Head of Low Level Waste, said: "The strategy looks at how we can use the principles of preventing, reducing, reusing and recycling in order reduce the amount of LLW generated - at the same time as maintaining high standards of health, safety, security and environmental protection.

"This will not only make best use of the available national disposal capacity at the LLWR, but also reduce the need for an additional national facility in the future.

"We received 48 responses to the consultation and these have already highlighted some key points for our consideration regarding alternative waste treatment and disposal sites. We will now review the comments in detail, and use them to further refine the strategy.

"This will help us to produce the best possible solution for effectively managing the UK's solid low level radioactive waste now and for the future."

Background

Solid LLW has been produced by both the nuclear (power generation, decommissioning of nuclear sites and maintenance of the UK nuclear deterrent) and non-nuclear (universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical industry etc) sectors since the 1920s. LLW is made up of a wide range of materials, including plastic, paper, tissue, clothing, wood, metal and building rubble. It makes up approximately 90% of the total volume of the UK's radioactive waste – but contains less than 0.0003% of the total radioactivity.

335 million tonnes of conventional (non-radioactive) waste are generated each year. In comparison, predicted volumes of LLW are approximately 25,000 m3 per year* - equivalent to just 0.0075% of conventional amounts.

*    The figures are derived from the UK LLW Strategic Review. Experience at LLWR shows that broadly speaking, across the LLW inventory 1 m3 of waste is equivalent to 1 tonne.