MoreThanWaste.com - Defra announces low level radioactive waste policy (26/03/2007)

" Today's policy announcement will ensure that we have safe and appropriate disposal routes for low level radioactive waste in the future. It will ensure that they are flexible enough to accommodate the wide range of types and radioactivity of wastes that result from both nuclear and non-nuclear activity"

Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change

A new UK policy for managing solid low level radioactive waste has been published by the UK Government and the devolved administrations today. Defra says that the policy, puts proving public safety at the forefront of dealing with low level radioactive waste (LLW), and sets out a more flexible and pragmatic approach to managing LLW.

The policy also stresses the need to minimise the amount of waste created, and recognises the need to involve the public in developing and authorising LLW management plans.

The issue of the new policy follows a public consultation in 2006.

Low level radioactive waste (LLW)

Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change

According to Defra, of the total predicted radioactive waste that will be generated in the future, LLW accounts for about 90 per cent by volume and only 0.00003 per cent of its total radioactivity.

LLW can occur in a wide variety of chemical and physical forms. Cleaning materials and clothing contaminated when handling radioactive materials is often classified as LLW, as is soil and building rubble resulting from decommissioning activities on sites (both nuclear sites and other sites like hospitals, where radioactive materials have been produced or treated).

Some of the chemical and physical forms in which LLW arises can be burned in incinerators.

Disposal of radioactive wastes is closely controlled by the environment agencies, with similar standards applied to either disposal at engineered repositories like the one near Drigg or to landfill.

These standards imply that, using conservative assumptions, the maximum possible radiation dose to a member of the public would be 300 microsieverts per year. By comparison, natural background radiation in the UK ranges from 2000 to 7000 microsieverts a year. Hence this is 10 times the maximum dose allowable by the environment agencies.

The Department says that in practice, the combination of low level activity in any waste and the regulatory requirements to minimise their impacts means that the actual dose to any member of the public would be likely to be around 30 microsieverts per year. This is equivalent to the radiation a person would receive on a one-way flight from London to New York.

The policy statement

The policy statement outlines the priorities for managing low level radioactive waste responsibly and safely, by:

Allowing greater flexibility in managing the wide range of LLW that already exists and will arise in the future;
Maintaining a focus on safety, with arrangements supported by the independent regulators, including the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agencies;
Seeking to first minimise the amount of low level waste created before looking at disposal options, through avoiding generation, minimising the amount of radioactive substances used, recycling and reuse;
Creating a UK-wide strategy for managing low level waste from the nuclear industry, including at what point in the future a replacement (or replacements) for the national disposal facility near Drigg in Cumbria might be required and planned, to be developed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Initiating a UK-wide strategy for the management of non-nuclear LLW. The first step will be for the Government, in conjunction with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, to undertake a study that gives a clear picture of future low level waste from the non-nuclear sector;
Emphasising the need to involve communities and the wider public in developing and delivering LLW management plans.

Comments

Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change, said:

"Today's policy announcement will ensure that we have safe and appropriate disposal routes for low level radioactive waste in the future. It will ensure that they are flexible enough to accommodate the wide range of types and radioactivity of wastes that result from both nuclear and non-nuclear activity.

"The review of how we manage low level radioactive waste complements the ongoing work the Government is carrying out on the policy for managing higher activity radioactive wastes under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, following recommendation made by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) in July 2006."

Unlike higher-activity wastes, the methods for managing and disposing of LLW in the long term already exist. However the review of managing LLW dealt with a number of new issues, including:

The decommissioning and clean-up programme being undertaken by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which will greatly increase the amount of LLW generated over the coming decades;
The lack of long-term capacity at the national LLW disposal facility near Drigg to deal with this waste;
The diminishing availability of other routes for dealing with LLW;
The increasing difficulty of finding small-scale treatment and disposal routes for the least radioactive wastes, which are very important for the non-nuclear sectors.

Some definitions

Within the UK, LLW is now defined as:

“radioactive waste having a radioactive content not exceeding four gigabecquerels per tonne(GBq/te) of alpha or 12 GBq/te of beta/gamma activity".

Within the UK, Very Low Level Radioactive Waste (VLLW), sub-category of
LLW is now defined as:

- in the case of low volumes (‘dustbin loads’) – Low Volume VLLW:

“Radioactive waste which can be safely disposed of to an unspecified
destination with municipal, commercial or industrial waste (“dustbin” disposal),
each 0.1m3 of waste containing less than 400 kilobecquerels (kBq) of total
activity or single items containing less than 40 kBq of total activity.

For wastes containing carbon-14 or hydrogen-3 (tritium):

in each 0.1m3, the activity limit is 4,000 kBq for carbon-14 and
hydrogen-3 (tritium) taken together; and
for any single item, the activity limit is 400 kBq for carbon-14 and
hydrogen-3 (tritium) taken together.

Controls on disposal of this material, after removal from the premises where the
wastes arose, are not necessary.”

- in the case of bulk disposals – High Volume VLLW:

“Radioactive waste with maximum concentrations of four megabecquerels per tonne (MBq/te) of total activity which can be disposed of to specified landfill sites. For waste containing hydrogen-3 (tritium), the concentration limit for tritium is 40MBq/te. Controls on disposal of this material, after removal from the premises where the wastes arose, will be necessary in a manner specified by the environmental regulators"

Further information

A copy of Ian Pearson's statement to Parliament, and the full policy statement, can be found at the Defra website.


	Defra announces low level radioactive waste policy (26/03/2007) " Today's policy announcement will ensure that we have safe and appropriate disposal routes for low level radioactive waste in the future. It will ensure that they are flexible enough to accommodate the wide range of types and radioactivity of wastes that result from both nuclear and non-nuclear activity" Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change A new UK policy for managing solid low level radioactive waste has been published by the UK Government and the devolved administrations today. Defra says that the policy, puts proving public safety at the forefront of dealing with low level radioactive waste (LLW), and sets out a more flexible and pragmatic approach to managing LLW. The policy also stresses the need to minimise the amount of waste created, and recognises the need to involve the public in developing and authorising LLW management plans. The issue of the new policy follows a public consultation in 2006. Low level radioactive waste (LLW) Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change According to Defra, of the total predicted radioactive waste that will be generated in the future, LLW accounts for about 90 per cent by volume and only 0.00003 per cent of its total radioactivity. LLW can occur in a wide variety of chemical and physical forms. Cleaning materials and clothing contaminated when handling radioactive materials is often classified as LLW, as is soil and building rubble resulting from decommissioning activities on sites (both nuclear sites and other sites like hospitals, where radioactive materials have been produced or treated). Some of the chemical and physical forms in which LLW arises can be burned in incinerators. Disposal of radioactive wastes is closely controlled by the environment agencies, with similar standards applied to either disposal at engineered repositories like the one near Drigg or to landfill. These standards imply that, using conservative assumptions, the maximum possible radiation dose to a member of the public would be 300 microsieverts per year. By comparison, natural background radiation in the UK ranges from 2000 to 7000 microsieverts a year. Hence this is 10 times the maximum dose allowable by the environment agencies. The Department says that in practice, the combination of low level activity in any waste and the regulatory requirements to minimise their impacts means that the actual dose to any member of the public would be likely to be around 30 microsieverts per year. This is equivalent to the radiation a person would receive on a one-way flight from London to New York. The policy statement The policy statement outlines the priorities for managing low level radioactive waste responsibly and safely, by: Allowing greater flexibility in managing the wide range of LLW that already exists and will arise in the future; Maintaining a focus on safety, with arrangements supported by the independent regulators, including the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agencies; Seeking to first minimise the amount of low level waste created before looking at disposal options, through avoiding generation, minimising the amount of radioactive substances used, recycling and reuse; Creating a UK-wide strategy for managing low level waste from the nuclear industry, including at what point in the future a replacement (or replacements) for the national disposal facility near Drigg in Cumbria might be required and planned, to be developed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Initiating a UK-wide strategy for the management of non-nuclear LLW. The first step will be for the Government, in conjunction with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, to undertake a study that gives a clear picture of future low level waste from the non-nuclear sector; Emphasising the need to involve communities and the wider public in developing and delivering LLW management plans. Comments Ian Pearson, UK Minister for Environment and Climate Change, said: "Today's policy announcement will ensure that we have safe and appropriate disposal routes for low level radioactive waste in the future. It will ensure that they are flexible enough to accommodate the wide range of types and radioactivity of wastes that result from both nuclear and non-nuclear activity. "The review of how we manage low level radioactive waste complements the ongoing work the Government is carrying out on the policy for managing higher activity radioactive wastes under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, following recommendation made by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) in July 2006." Unlike higher-activity wastes, the methods for managing and disposing of LLW in the long term already exist. However the review of managing LLW dealt with a number of new issues, including: The decommissioning and clean-up programme being undertaken by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which will greatly increase the amount of LLW generated over the coming decades; The lack of long-term capacity at the national LLW disposal facility near Drigg to deal with this waste; The diminishing availability of other routes for dealing with LLW; The increasing difficulty of finding small-scale treatment and disposal routes for the least radioactive wastes, which are very important for the non-nuclear sectors. Some definitions Within the UK, LLW is now defined as: “radioactive waste having a radioactive content not exceeding four gigabecquerels per tonne(GBq/te) of alpha or 12 GBq/te of beta/gamma activity". Within the UK, Very Low Level Radioactive Waste (VLLW), sub-category of LLW is now defined as: - in the case of low volumes (‘dustbin loads’) – Low Volume VLLW: “Radioactive waste which can be safely disposed of to an unspecified destination with municipal, commercial or industrial waste (“dustbin” disposal), each 0.1m3 of waste containing less than 400 kilobecquerels (kBq) of total activity or single items containing less than 40 kBq of total activity. For wastes containing carbon-14 or hydrogen-3 (tritium): in each 0.1m3, the activity limit is 4,000 kBq for carbon-14 and hydrogen-3 (tritium) taken together; and for any single item, the activity limit is 400 kBq for carbon-14 and hydrogen-3 (tritium) taken together. Controls on disposal of this material, after removal from the premises where the wastes arose, are not necessary.” OR - in the case of bulk disposals – High Volume VLLW: “Radioactive waste with maximum concentrations of four megabecquerels per tonne (MBq/te) of total activity which can be disposed of to specified landfill sites. For waste containing hydrogen-3 (tritium), the concentration limit for tritium is 40MBq/te. Controls on disposal of this material, after removal from the premises where the wastes arose, will be necessary in a manner specified by the environmental regulators" Further information A copy of Ian Pearson's statement to Parliament, and the full policy statement, can be found at the Defra website. [Source: Defra website. Parts of this article and image Crown © 2007]