To date the EARWG has focused on the two
generic 'additional information and improvement requirements' (AIIRs) issued
with the new multimedia RSA93 Authorisation; waste minimisation and waste
assay.
Since the formation of the EARWG in
January 2003 the majority of the work undertaken by the Group has focused on
the generic waste minimisation requirement. The Group considered that the
'national and international review of waste minimisation techniques' aspect of
this AIIR is a common task that could be undertaken jointly by members of the
group.
The EARWG has performed a systematic trawl for, and review
of national and international waste minimisation information. Waste
minimisation in this context is defined as any process that reduces the
activity and/or volume of waste at any stage in the waste management process.
The information gained as a result of the review is recorded in this web-based
information database.
A list of the public information sources reviewed for the
EARWG are available
here.
The database has a far wider application than just
responding to the radioactive waste minimisation AIIR. The database
provides a single point of information for a range of waste minimisation
techniques that could be considered when conducting Best Practicable
Environmental Option (BPEO) and Best Practicable Means (BPM) studies.
BPEO is defined by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
(RCEP, 1988) as:
"the outcome of a systematic and
consultative decision-making procedure which emphasises the protection and
conservation of the environment across land, air and water. The BPEO
procedure establishes, for a given set of objectives, the option that provides
the most benefit or least damage to the environment as a whole, at acceptable
cost, in the long term as well as in the short term."
A definition for BPM is:
"In determining whether particular means are the "best
practicable" for the
purposes of this Authorisation, the Operator shall not be
required to incur
expenditure whether in money, time or trouble which is, or
is likely to be,
grossly disproportionate to the benefits to be derived
from, or likely to be derived
from, or the efficacy of, or likely efficacy of, employing
them, the benefits or
results produced being, or likely to be, insignificant in
relation to the
expenditure.."
Please be
aware that the database is still undergoing development and therefore maybe
slow to use.
Waste Assay Attributes Tool
The EARWG has conducted a review of the means by
which the UK nuclear industry assesses the activity of radionuclides in waste
disposals. The review involved gathering information from each EARWG
member on the techniques they use to assay these radionuclides in radioactive
waste. The Waste Assay Attributes Tool database contains the collation of the
data on waste assay techniques used at EARWG member sites. The database
does not assess the merits or suitability of an assay technique. This
tool is not currently available to the public.