Canadian experience with the storage and disposal of low- and intermediate-level wastes

In Canada, large quantities of low- and intermediate-level radioactive solid waste arise from nuclear power reactors and research sites, fuel and radioisotope production facilities and from many medical and industrial applications. Currently storage after volume reduction is being used as a safe way of managing these wastes for many years at a reasonable cost. Since permanent disposal has many advantages, disposal technologies including waste processing and characterization, site characterization, repository design and safety assessment are being developed. The preferred disposal strategy is one matching waste fractions, segregated according to hazardous life-time, with disposal concepts which can isolate wastes for the required period. Several possible disposal concepts are discussed