The UK Radioactive Waste & Materials Inventory (the Inventory) is the latest national record on radioactive wastes and materials in the UK.
For each radioactive waste stream, the following data is recorded:
- Description of waste stream
- Waste stream identification code
- Waste classification
- Volume in stock (existing volumes)
- Volumes forecast to arise and associated time periods
- Radioactivity concentration (known as ‘specific activity’)
- Current or planned waste treatment and packaging.
Full information about each waste stream is contained within individual Waste Stream Data Sheets (WSDS).
Radioactive materials are radioactive items that are not classed as waste now but may be in future if no further use can be found for them. As a result, data about radioactive materials is collected separately.
Information is collected about the type and quantity of radioactive materials that exist in operational reactors and stores. Estimates of future arisings of radioactive materials are also compiled. Radioactive materials are not currently assigned identification codes as they have not yet been classed as waste.
Exclusions
Certain wastes and materials are excluded from the Inventory.
The Inventory excludes information about:
- Liquid and gaseous wastes that are authorised to be discharged into the environment that contain very low levels of radioactivity. These wastes are closely monitored and can only be released if they meet strict conditions and limitations;
- Wastes from small user sites, such as hospitals and universities, which have very low levels of radioactivity and can be safely disposed of through incineration or landfill;
- Radioactive materials which are not subject to nuclear safeguards. All nuclear materials in the UK (uranium, plutonium and thorium) are subject to international safeguards except where they are excluded for national security reasons or have been assigned to meet defence requirements. Nuclear materials may also be exempt where they are used for non-nuclear purposes which incorporate nuclear materials that are in practice irrecoverable. These exempt materials are not included in the Inventory;
- Radioactive sources which are subject to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010 (EPR 10) in England and Wales, and the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA 93) in Scotland and Northern Ireland (however, redundant sources in existing small user waste streams are reported);
- Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM); and
- Radioactive substances which are exempt from being permitted, such as those substances used within smoke detectors.
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Data accuracy
The Inventory is based on the best available information on wastes and materials at a specific point in time (the ‘stock date’). Even so, there are some uncertainties in the data, which need to be carefully considered.
Radioactive Wastes
For some wastes, we may not have detailed information about what the waste is composed of. This particularly applies to wastes that were created a long time ago, known as legacy wastes, as detailed records were not kept back then. For other wastes, we do not have accurate estimates of volumes, as the waste is forecast to arise a long way into the future.
Where there are uncertainties, sites use the best available information to make reasonable estimates. They may use data from waste samples, surveys and historical evidence to support their assumptions. The final figures are reviewed internally by the site and then checked again by the Inventory contractor. This helps to make sure that the assumptions used are as realistic as possible.
We have a good degree of confidence in estimates of future waste arisings from operations in the short term. Uncertainty increases the further that waste arisings are projected into the future.
The greatest uncertainty rests with future waste arisings from decommissioning and site clean-up, including contaminated land. This is particularly the case for wastes at the lower end of the Low Level Waste (LLW) activity range, where strategies, plans and waste assessment techniques are continually improving and providing better estimates of future volumes.
Radioactive Materials
Radioactive materials are radioactive items that are not classed as waste now but may be in future if no further use can be found for them. Information about radioactive materials is obtained directly from the holders of radioactive material and is consistent with UK international materials reporting. The information provided in the Inventory is an estimate which includes both current stocks and future projections.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) support an ongoing programme of improvement activities to ensure that the best available waste and materials data is submitted to the Inventory each time.
The Inventory is based on the best available information at a specific point in time (the ‘stock date’).
Ongoing improvements
After each Inventory exercise, we help sites improve the quality of data they submit for the Inventory.
The improvements are grouped into three categories:
- General Inventory – These include general improvement measures which are applicable to all data providers.
- Data Provider Specific – These include data improvement measures that are applicable to all wastes for a data provider or a specific site.
- Waste Streams – These include data improvement measures for particular waste streams.
We prioritise these improvements to help sites to focus their work between Inventory cycles. This helps to ensure that the quality of data continually improves with each Inventory that we produce.
The Inventory is produced under a single contract, managed by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). BEIS and the NDA also review this process to ensure that the Inventory is compiled in the most cost-effective and practical way.
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Also see
For further information about the Inventory.
