Nuclear Waste Management — Definition

Definition

Nuclear waste management is the controlled handling of radioactive material for which no further use is intended, using methods suited to its activity, physical form and persistence. It includes characterisation, segregation, treatment, conditioning, storage and disposal.

These stages are related but not interchangeable: storage retains material for a period with continuing management, while disposal concerns its intended final placement. Recovering useful constituents through reprocessing can alter the waste stream without eliminating radioactivity.

The central objective is to control exposure pathways and maintain protection over the time relevant to the material.