When radioactive materials are no longer useful, they become radioactive waste.
Australia has been accumulating radioactive waste for many decades from nuclear technologies like nuclear medicine. Along with the benefits we get from these technologies, we also have a responsibility to safely and securely manage the associated radioactive waste. This means protecting people and the environment over the long-term.
Australia’s radioactive waste is currently stored safely and securely at more than 100 locations around the country. Most of it is stored at Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in Lucas Heights, New South Wales.
Storage means keeping radioactive waste safely in a facility where it can be retrieved later for disposal.
As well as providing advice to government entities and waste owners, the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA) is developing, and will implement, permanent disposal solutions for Australia’s existing and future radioactive waste in line with national and international standards.
Disposal means placing the waste in a specially designed facility with no intention to remove it.
As the managing authority advancing these solutions, ARWA develops and publishes Australia’s national inventory of radioactive waste every 3 years. We are pleased to release this third update of the national inventory. Understanding information about existing and future radioactive waste is central to ARWA’s work.
This update features data we collected in 2024. Since the 2021 inventory, there have been a number of developments highlighting the importance of regular analysis. For example, this update focuses more on waste produced by Australia’s largest current radioactive waste holders. These include:
- ANSTO
- the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
- the Department of Defence
- the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
The updated data shows waste holders are continuing to improve how they categorise and report their radioactive waste.
Changes in numbers show advancement by larger waste holders including ANSTO and CSIRO who have undertaken significant work to better understand the properties of waste in storage.
The inventory also draws from international reporting requirements, including the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management.
Australia will continue to generate radioactive waste. This inventory creates a clear dataset outlining Australia’s radioactive waste responsibilities now and in the coming years. It supports a consistent understanding across government entities and agencies involved in waste management, and helps inform future policy and planning decisions for radioactive waste disposal.
On behalf of ARWA, I thank all those who supported the preparation of the inventory report. This work is important and complex. It is a critical underpinning for developing long-term management and disposal pathways for Australia’s radioactive waste.