Integrated Waste Strategy for Culham Science Centre

October 2023

Issue 3

Executive Summary

This document outlines the strategy for waste management at Culham. This includes the operational waste and provides a basis for decommissioning. The waste strategy refers to all waste streams, both radioactive and non-radioactive, solids, liquids and gases. The Integrated Waste Strategy (IWS) can be summarised as:

■ All operations on site are expected to follow the waste hierarchy as part of planning.

■ All projects on site are managed to address waste issues at the onset or as soon as is practicable, to ensure the waste hierarchy can be incorporated easily.

■ All non-radioactive waste is managed through sustainable routes and the wastes recycled 88%, with 12% sent to landfill.

■ The Environment Agency has issued UKAEA with a permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (EPRs) 2016, for the accumulation, transfer and discharge of any radioactive waste.

■ UKAEA applies Best Available Technique (BAT) principles to manage all waste in compliance with this permit.

■ The present strategy is for UKAEA to minimise all radioactive waste present on site at the end of the JET operations.

■ Work has been undertaken on JET end state and the final solution will be in agreement with relevant stakeholders.

The Integrated Waste Strategy has been developed over a number of years.  It has integrated all new requirements of legislation, national policies and the regulatory requirements as well as the Company H&S, Environmental policies and Company Strategies.

Contents

1.1 Background
1.2 Purpose
1.3 Scope

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2.1 Regulatory
2.2 Stakeholder input and consultation
2.3 Accessibility

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3.1 UKAEA Objective
3.2 Strategy Aims
3.3 Waste management principles
3.4 Strategy Assumptions

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4.1 Waste Hierarchy
4.2 Option assessments
4.3 Interactions with other policies, strategies and plans
4.4 Lifecycle strategy phases
4.5 Decommissioning and final site End state

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5.1 What we do now
5.2 What is needed in the future
5.3 Existing routes and plans

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Glossary

■ IWS – Integrated Waste Strategy
■ BAT –
Best Available Technique
■ NDA –
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
■ JET – Joint European Torus
■ MAST – Mega Amp Spherical Tokomak
■ RACE – Remote Applications in Challenging Environments
■ MRF – Materials Research Facility
■ ALARP – As Low As Reasonably Practicable
■ OSR – Out of Scope of Regulations – replaces the exempt material in schedule 1 of the EPR’s
■ EPR’s – Environmental Permitting Regulations
■ WAC – Waste Acceptance Criteria
■ GDF – Geological Disposal Facility (proposed National RadWaste Repository)
■ WDS – Water Detritiation Facility
■ MDF – Materials Detritiation Facility
■ SLC’s – Site Licensed Companies (under Nuclear Installations Act 1965)