The waste would be buried between 300 metres and 2 kilometres underground in chambers protected by the surrounding rocks and soil.

The chambers would be sealed off and the tunnel leading to them would be filled in.

The packaging of the wastes, the materials used to fill in the chambers and the rocks themselves would all help prevent radioactivity leaking out.

Even so, very small amounts of radioactivity are likely to reach the surface over a very long time. This would be allowed under the safety and environmental rules set by UK regulators but some people question whether this would be acceptable.

The aim of this option is to dispose of the waste. There is no intention to retrieve the waste in future.

Advantages

Disadvantages

This option is likely to require much less involvement on the part of future generations than the other two.

This option may be more safe and secure than other options as the waste is kept deep underground and sealed off.

This option needs particular types of geology which only exist in certain places in the UK. Around one third of land in the UK might provide suitable geology.

Excavating an underground chamber would be very expensive.

The wastes would be difficult to retrieve, making it hard for future generations to manage them differently should they wish or need to.