Can long term criteria for deep disposal be implemented

Over the last decade considerable time and effort has been devoted to the development of criteria for the disposal of long-lived waste into deep geological environments. Now the focus is shifting to the more practical problems associated with applying these criteria and demonstrating compliance. Time and effort is being spent on exploring the various compliance options and in determining how much information is needed for compliance and what form it should take. These decisions are further complicated because there are a variety of target audiences which need to be addressed and the types of open-quotes proofclose quotes which each needs to reflect their preferences and orientations can vary greatly. The fundamental need however is to provide material that leads all these groups to a sufficient level of confidence that the decisions they must make are adequately supported. This paper will explore these diverse requirements and in particular emphasize some of the polarities involved. Examples of these are: simplicity versus complexity; comprehensiveness versus understandability; variety of approach versus choosing the optimal one; technical versus social orientation; and, general performance targets versus specific design objectives