A closed reactor can in its entirety be seen as waste, and the decommission­ing and dismantling process can be seen as waste management. A key component in the management process is to segregate non-radioactive waste from radioactive waste. The larger part of the reactor, e. g. buildings and systems that have not been in contact with process waters or gases, can be regarded as non-radioactive waste and be taken care of like normal industrial waste. The remaining radioactive waste covers a wide spectrum of types and activity concentrations, ranging from core components with a very high radiation level to very low-level waste, similar to the maintenance waste.

A key component for successful decommissioning and dismantling is an effective and well-planned waste management system including choosing the right size of the waste packages and the right level of decontamination. The optimal levels will differ between countries depending on their entire waste management system, in particular the transport system and disposal facility and the possibilities of recycling decontaminated material. Ideally, recycled material should be used without restrictions, but also some mate­rial with a radioactivity concentration above the release limit could be recycled in the nuclear industry for waste packages or some reactor components.