Australia's national inventory of radioactive waste 2024

The Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA) publishes an inventory of Australia’s radioactive waste every 3 years. The inventory estimates:

• the amount of radioactive waste in Australia that will require disposal

• how much radioactive waste Australia will produce in the foreseeable future. 

The inventory includes data we collected in 2024 on the volumes, radioactivity levels and main radionuclides of the radioactive waste that waste holders voluntarily reported to ARWA. 

Australia’s estimated radioactive waste inventory in 2024 was:

• intermediate-level waste (ILW) including nuclear materials: approximately 1,300m³
• low-level waste (LLW): approximately 3,700m³.

Australia’s estimated future radioactive waste numbers are: 

• intermediate-level waste (ILW) including nuclear materials: approximately 1,200m³
• low-level waste (LLW): approximately 5,000m³.

The report also includes:

• analysis of why and how the data has changed since the last time we published the inventory in 2021
• how we collect and present data
• important terms and definitions
• considerations for future inventory updates
• data on disused sealed sources
• data on naturally occurring radioactive materials.