Defining a waste characterization strategy. A case study

A good strategy for radioactive waste characterization represents a key issue for any decommissioning plan or waste management activity. If correctly used, the available radiological measurement techniques and methods ensure compliance with the required precision and accuracy levels. The paper presents a systematic description of the methods used for waste characterization and some hints for defining a characterization strategy. A case study concerning the waste characterization methods used for decommissioning of a nuclear installation from the Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti, is included in the paper together with the authors' conclusions regarding the completeness of the characterization. (authors)