Waste volumes are reported in three different ways for the Inventory. This helps us to understand what volume the waste will take up at different stages of the waste management process.
Waste volumes are reported in three different ways for the Inventory:
- Reported volume: This is the volume actually taken up by wastes that exist at the Inventory stock date. It is the volume taken up by wastes inside the tanks, vaults, silos and drums in which they are contained. Most wastes are in an untreated or partly treated form, whilst some have already been processed or ‘conditioned’ for disposal.
- Conditioned volume: To package wastes for safe disposal, it is often necessary to mix the waste with an ‘immobilising medium’, to create a solid, stable wasteform. The immobilising medium may be a cement-based material, glass or polymer. This ‘conditioning’ helps to reduce the hazards posed by the waste. The conditioned volume is the volume of the ‘wasteform’ (waste plus immobilising medium) within the package.
- Packaged volume: Waste is placed into packages for long-term management. In most cases this involves conditioning. The packaged waste volume is the total volume taken up by the waste, the immobilising medium and the waste container. It represents the final waste volume, and is important information used to plan the size of new disposal facilities. Typically the packaged waste volume is between 20% and 50% greater than the conditioned waste volume, depending on the type of container.