Should France implement a clearance threshold?

In the nineties, France introduced the concept of very low level radioactive waste because it considered that any waste from a restricted area may have a residual contamination. It is now obvious that the level of radioactivity of a large part of this waste is extremely low and presents no danger for the public. The introduction of a clearance threshold below which waste is no longer considered as dangerous, could save money and reserve storage capacity to waste whose level of radioactivity is higher than natural activity. The implementation of a clearance threshold would imply fastidious measurement campaigns because the level of radioactivity to be detected is very low and can favour deceitful attitude: radioactive waste could be mixed with non-radioactive materials until the global radioactivity level is below the clearance threshold. Some consider that the management of waste must be based on the place of origin whatever the real radioactivity level is, which is necessary to ensure the traceability. (A.C.)