HC Deb 18 February 1998 vol 306 cc644-6W
Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each year since 1995 those sites specified in authorisations issued under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 to receive low level radioactive waste, indicating the annual volume and isotopic content of wastes received at each site and the origin of such wastes; and if he will make a statement. [29418]

Angela Eagle

I have been advised by the Environment Agency in respect of England and Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and by the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland that the information requested is not held centrally.

The BNFL site at Drigg in Cumbria receives the largest volume and activity of low level radioactive waste in the United Kingdom. The majority of waste sent to Drigg for disposal arises from the nuclear industry. Data relating to disposals of low level radioactive waste at BNFL Drigg for 1995 and 1996 are as follows:

Radioactivity disposed (TBq)
Radionuclide 1995 1996 Authorised Limit (TBq)
Tritium 0.34 0.41 10
Carbon-14 0.010 0.005 0.05
Cobalt-601 0.36 0.25 2
Iodine-129 0.0018 0.00017 0.05
Others2 6.0 3.6 15
Radium-226 and Thorium-232 0.005 0.005 0.03
Uranium 0.024 0.10 0.3
Other alpha3 0.09 0.10 0.3
Volume (m3) 13,200 10,500
1The cobalt-60 figure is included in the 'other' as well as shown separately.
2 Defined in the current authorisation as:
i. iron 55 and beta emitting radionuclides with half lives greater than three months (excluding carbon-14, iodine-129 and tritium)
ii. not more than 2 TBq may be Cobalt-60.
3 Alpha emitting radionuclides with half-lives greater than three months excluding uranium, radium-226 and thorium-232.

The site in Scotland at which the largest volume and activity of low level radioactive waste is disposed is at Dounreay, Caithness. Virtually all of the waste disposed of at Dounreay arises from the nuclear industry. Data relating to disposals of solid radioactive waste at Dounreay for 1995 and 1996 are as follows:

Year Volume (m3) α(Gbq) βγ(GBq)
1995 446 39 223
1996 153 15 367

Only one site in Northern Ireland, at Dargan Road near Belfast, has been used for the disposal of low level radioactive waste since 1995. The volume of radioactive waste disposed of each year at this site is approximately 50 cubic metres. Details of the activity are in the table.

Radionuclide Radioactivity Disposed (MBq)
1995 1996
Tritium 92.807 31.295
Carbon-14 6.03 736.276
Other isotopes with a half life less than 1 year 2199.67 884.4
Other isotopes with a half life greater than 1 year 9.5 0
Waste Technetium-99 columns1 50 0
1 The level of radioactivity associated with each column is of the order of 0.01 MBq.

There are in addition 12 landfill sites in England and Wales, 12 in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland where disposal of low level radioactive waste is authorised. I refer the hon. member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 19 November 1997, Official Report, columns 202–03, where these are listed. Around 35 incinerators are also authorised in the United Kingdom for the disposal of low level radioactive waste.

The nature of the waste disposed of at landfill sites varies from industrial residues containing naturally occurring radioactive material to small quantities of radioactive wastes from universities and hospitals. The type of wastes which are incinerated are predominately hospital patient care wastes and research wastes which contain small amounts of radioisotopes such as Iodine-131, Tritium and Carbon-14.