What is Integrated Waste Management and Why Should We Use It? A View from the United Kingdom's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Effective, optimized waste management is essential for the delivery of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) mission where radioactive waste needs to be appropriately managed until the point of disposal. The overarching NDA integrated waste management (IWM) Strategic Objective is "to ensure that wastes are managed in a manner that protects people and the environment, now and in the future, and in ways that comply with government policies and provide value for money." For more than a decade the NDA has evolved its IWM strategic concept that advocates a holistic risk informed approach to radioactive waste management across the waste spectrum guided by seven Key Principles. The IWM strategic concept supports a process of close consideration of the radiological, physical, and chemical properties of the waste, the facility it currently resides in, the lifetime management and how waste management directly supports decommissioning or operations. This risk informed approach embraces a more effective application of the Waste Hierarchy, which underlines the importance of avoiding waste generation, minimization, re-use, recycling, and other environmentally sustainable options, as well as more optimal use of all waste infrastructure. In 2019, the NDA published its Radioactive Waste Strategy that committed to the creation of an Integrated Waste Management Programme (IWMP). The IWMP has now been established and is actively exploring new management and technical solutions that will help to drive forward decommissioning in the UK, building on existing good practices. The vision is to develop a 'world-leading waste management programme' that delivers safe, sustainable, timely, and cost effective management of all radioactive waste in the UK. The paper will set out in more detail the aims and objectives of the NDA IWM Strategy, outline the programme for its implementation, and illustrate the benefits with case studies that explore a variety of waste types and their life cycle management. (author)