Very low level radioactive waste: Perspective of the European Commission

The management of radioactive waste is essentially a national responsibility, but it is subject to a number of radiation protection requirements deriving from European law, in particular the Basic Safety Standards (Directive 96/29/EURATOM) and the Directive on shipments of radioactive waste (92/3/EURATOM). Furthermore, new specific legislation on safe management of radioactive waste is under preparation. In addition, plans for the disposal of radioactive waste by Member States are subject to the procedure under Article 37 of the EURATOM Treaty, the European Commission giving an Opinion on such plans prior to their authorization at national level. With regard to very low level waste (VLLW), the paper discusses to what extent the provisions for exemption and clearance from the requirements of the standards apply. Guidance on the application of the concepts of exemption and clearance has been issued by the Group of Experts under Article 31 of the EURATOM Treaty. Guidance has also been provided on the management of materials with low levels of naturally occurring radionuclides, in particular residues from NORM industries. While a properly designed VLLW repository should have a very low radiological impact, the volume of such waste, and hence the surface area of the repositories, may become very important. This raises questions with regard to land use and the possible relevance of environmental legislation. The environmental and economic impact of disposal versus recycling, in particular for metals is considered. The option of specific VLLW repositories is compared with disposal in (industrial) landfills. (author)