Most low-level radioactive waste is usually sent to a terrestrial warehouse immediately after packaging. Many long-term waste management options have. Nuclear waste must be processed for safe disposal. This includes its collection and classification, the reduction of its volume and the change of its chemical and physical composition (for example, the concentration of liquid waste) and, finally, its packaging so that it is immobilized and packaged before storage and disposal.
Environmental concerns and public pressure severely restrict methods of burying and incinerating land as common options for disposal of radioactive waste. For these reasons, incineration and burial are rarely recommended. All parts of the nuclear fuel cycle produce some radioactive waste, and the cost of its management and disposal is part of the cost of electricity (i.e., hospitals that order and use this equipment must enter into a contract with suppliers to safely remove and replace the sealed radioactive source). This technique will immobilize the long-lasting radioactive elements of HLW and ILW and isolate them from the biosphere.
To achieve this, practically all radioactive waste is contained and managed, and it is clear that some of it needs deep and permanent burial. Countries that have, at one time or another, disposed of at sea using the above techniques include Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as Japan, South Korea and the United States. In Germany, the former Asse and Morsleben salt mines have been used for the removal of coal and mortar mines, although this practice has now been discontinued. However, krypton-85 and xenon-133 are chemically inert, the three gases have a short half-life, and the radioactivity of the emissions decreases when their release is delayed.
The storage and disposal options are described in more detail in the information document on the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. While waste is produced during the extraction, milling, and manufacturing of fuel, most (in terms of radioactivity) comes from the actual “burning” of uranium to produce electricity. The LLW and ILW occur as a result of general operations, such as cleaning the cooling systems of reactors and fuel storage tanks, and the decontamination of equipment, filters, and metal components that have become radioactive as a result of use in or near the reactor. As part of a pilot study, the IAEA has provided technological and engineering support for the construction and commissioning of well disposal facilities in Malaysia and Ghana.
Other ideas have also been considered and discarded in the past (see below the section entitled “Other ideas for disposal” and the briefing paper on international concepts of nuclear waste disposal). Cooper, Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in Australian Industries: Review of Current Inventories and Future Generation, ERS-006, a report prepared for the Health and Radiological Safety Advisory Council (September 2000 review). Some smaller countries may not have the resources necessary to take appropriate measures on their own to ensure adequate safety and security, or that they may not have enough radioactive waste to make the construction and operation of their own deposits economically viable. The upward trend in HBV and HIV infection has led to greater awareness of the risks associated with the inadequate management of biomedical waste and the need to develop and implement strategies to have safe and sustainable methods of waste disposal (.
