Radioactive waste is sometimes
packaged in concrete and steel.
_{Image: BNFL}

Radioactive waste has been produced in the UK since the 1940s, mainly from developing and using nuclear power. The waste is hazardous to human health and some will continue to be hazardous for thousands of years.

The radiation that comes from radioactive waste could cause cancer or birth defects if the dose is high enough. We need to find the best way of dealing with the waste to protect humans and the environment.

There are currently around 80,000 cubic metres of solid radioactive waste in storage. Compared with the 40 million cubic metres of household waste we produce every year it is a tiny amount.

The radioactive waste we have produced so far is being processed and stored until we decide how to manage it in the long term. Many nuclear power stations will be carefully dismantled over the coming decades, and this means that the amount of radioactive waste that needs to be managed will increase.

_{Sellafield - where much of the UK's radioactive waste is produced and stored.
Image: BNFL}