Low-level waste (LLW) contains higher activity concentrations than VLLW but with a limit on the concentration of long-lived radionuclides, i. e., radionuclides with T,/2 greater than about 30 years. It requires isolation from the biosphere for periods of up to a few hundred years. It is common practice to dispose of LLW in engineered near-surface facilities. LLW is generated in most facilities involved in nuclear power production and nuclear research and also in nuclear medicine.

Intermediate-level waste

I ntermediate-level waste (ILW) has a higher concentration of radionuclides, especially long-lived radionuclides, than LLW; it may require shielding to provide adequate protection for workers and greater provisions to ensure its isolation from the biosphere. However, ILW needs no or only limited provision for heat dissipation during its storage and disposal. To provide for long-term safety, disposal at greater depths than for LLW is normally considered to be appropriate (at least several tens of metres). ILW typically comprises metals which have been irradiated in reactor cores, graphite waste, ion exchange resins and fuel cladding waste resulting from spent fuel reprocessing.