Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Facts

The primary source and cause of nuclear and radioactive waste are nuclear reactors. These are at the heart of any nuclear power plant. They control nuclear fission, which is essentially the process of splitting atoms to create energy. There are many steps to this process, and it leaves behind some dangerous waste products.

Used nuclear fuel is the main type of nuclear and radioactive waste. It can be used for around five years but once it’s spent must be removed and disposed of safely. Exposure and contamination from nuclear or radioactive materials in power plants also cause nuclear and radioactive waste – such as clothing, tools, and machinery.

Laboratories and hospitals are two other common sources of nuclear and radioactive waste. Nuclear fuel is sometimes used in research facilities, which eventually becomes waste. Old and broken X-ray machines are the most common kind of radioactive waste produced by hospitals and healthcare facilities, alongside the use of any other radioactive materials for treatments such as chemotherapy.

Across the world nuclear waste statistics vary between countries, as many nations don’t have nuclear power plants, so such waste production is minimal. The volume of nuclear waste and spent nuclear fuel generated globally is relatively small. However, it gets a lot more attention due to its incredibly dangerous nature and the problems with disposal.

See the scale of this toxic waste with these top-level nuclear waste statistics:

• Around 400,000 tonnes of used fuel have been discharged from nuclear reactors worldwide in total since nuclear energy production began in 1954
• The radioactivity of the total volume of nuclear waste in the world:
  • High-level waste – 3%
  • Intermediate-level waste – 7%
  • Low-level waste – 90%
• About one-third of spent nuclear fuel has been reprocessed
• There are five nuclear power stations in the UK that have nine operational nuclear reactors
• Almost three-quarters of all nuclear waste in the UK is currently stored at Sellafield
• The USA has the most nuclear power plants in the world – 54 nuclear plants in 28 states with 93 operational nuclear reactors
• The USA creates around 2,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel every year
• It’s estimated that 88,000 tonnes of spent nuclear fuel remain at reactor sites in the USA awaiting disposal

Lots of radioactive waste stats crossover with statistics about nuclear waste. As the use of nuclear power has grown so has the amount of radioactive waste produced around the world. Get an idea of how much there is and how it’s managed with these dangerous radioactive waste statistics:

• About 80% of all solid radioactive waste volume is now in disposal
• The UK currently has a reported volume of around 4,580,000m³ of radioactive waste stored
• Around 94% of radioactive waste stored in the UK is low and very low-level waste
• The radioactivity of nuclear waste decays naturally but it can take between 1,000 and 10,000 years (or longer)
• Globally about 15 million packages of radioactive material are transported each year on public roads, railways, and ships
• In the USA, radioactive waste accounts for just 5% of the total hazardous waste – and less than 10% is from nuclear power production
• More than 2,500 cask shipments of spent nuclear fuel have been made in the USA in the past 55 years
• Around 70 reactor sites in the USA store spent nuclear fuel and about a quarter of them no longer have an operating reactor

Any organisation that produces nuclear and radioactive waste must have safe and legal processes in place to store it on-site. This is the case whether you run a power plant or a hospital and simply create radioactive waste from the radiography department. Responsible management protects human health and the environment.

Using appropriate containers to store any nuclear and radioactive waste is vital. Those responsible for on-site waste management must be trained and follow practices to store it securely and safely to reduce the risk of spillages. Then licensed waste carriers must remove it from your site and transport it to a facility for safe storage and disposal.

At Business Waste we can help with your nuclear and radioactive waste management needs. Speak to one of our expert team members about nuclear and radioactive waste storage and disposal from your business anywhere in the UK and get a free quote for collection. Call 0800 211 8390 or contact us online today.