Scotland is similar to the rest of the UK in its hospitals and industries using radioactive sources for medical and industrial purposes. The use of these sources is controlled by the suppliers who in most cases are also responsible for their storage or disposal after use. There are many movements of these radioactive sources daily under controlled conditions and in authorised containers.

17.2 Conclusion

Although the volumes of radioactive waste and decommissioning activities in Scotland are small compared with the total UK liabilities, they are nev­ertheless diverse and challenging. Dounreay is the second most challenging site in the UK after Sellafield. Scottish radioactive waste managers and nuclear site operators manage their responsibilities both within UK require­ments and legislation and the Scottish government’s specific policies on RAW management. Although Scotland has significantly different approaches to some aspects of HAW management, these are not creating operating problems at present. During the next few decades of develop­ment of disposal technologies in the UK as a whole, and the Scottish gov­ernment’ s commitment to review its HAW policy every ten years, closer alignment and coordination are possible.