Radioactive waste management around the world Although some countries have to manage radioactive waste from the nuclear industry, virtually all countries in the world have to manage radioactive waste from various medical and industrial applications. For a large number of countries, the safe management of radioactive waste entails the construction of disposal sites in which the waste is in principle emplaced definitively. This type of repository exists around the world for the lowest level waste. These are generally surface, or near-surface sites. For high level waste, the repository must be built at depths of several hundred metres, in order to guarantee the containment* of this waste for several thousand years. Several types of rocks are preferred to accommodate this type of waste (clay, granite, salt, etc.). The construction of deep geological repositories represents a major investment. If it is to be seen through to completion, this type of project requires long‑term involvement by Governments and Parliaments. For the time being, no repository of this type is in operation in the world, but projects in several countries – including Finland – are well advanced. However, as in the United States, which have abandoned their geological disposal project, numerous countries – including some industrialised nations – have postponed the decision and are thus adopting a de facto long‑term storage policy. Radioactive waste • 25 THE CHALLENGES FOR TOMORROW
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