Radioactive waste in Australia, Medical Association for the Prevention 
of War (MAPW) 18 Jan 16 …………….Where does the radioactive waste to be deposited in this repository come from? The repository is designed for “low level” and “intermediate level” waste; as of 2014 a total of 4,906 cubic metres (m3 ).1 • Low level waste will be the largest amount by volume with 4250m3 (87%). More than half is contaminated soil in ten thousand drums (located at Woomera) from CSIRO ore research in the 1950s and 1960s. Less than half is Lucas Heights’ reactor waste. The remainder is contaminated soil (20m3 ), old industrial gauges, smoke detectors, medical equipment, luminous signs and CSIRO waste and research sources.
• Material from the old Radium Hill mine site will also be sent to the repository. • Intermediate level waste (656m3,, 13%) is the most hazardous and requires the most isolation from the environment and humans. Most of it is ANSTO reactor operational waste, with much of the rest from past mineral sands processing. Much of the 100m 3 of state/territory waste comes from industrial, medical and research equipment. There is a small proportion of radium legacy waste part of which was used in cancer treatments until about 1976.
• Future intermediate level waste will nearly all come from waste/spent fuel from the decommissioning the HIFAR and MOATA nuclear reactors. These were replaced by the OPAL reactor. This spent fuel has been sent to Scotland and France for reprocessing. The first returning shipment in 2015 comprised of 25 tonnes in concrete containers.
When will the repository be operational? Who knows? The previous deadline of 2015 was missed requiring further interim storage at Lucas Heights until a permanent repository is found. …. https://www.mapw.org.au/files/downloads/Radioactive%20waste%20in%20Australia%20colour%20FINAL.pdf https://www.mapw.org.au/download/radioactive-waste-australia-fact-sheet-2016
