Recycling as reuse of materials arising from the decommissioning of nuclear facilities: A Report by the NEA Co-operative Programme on Decommissioning

Throughout the world, significant volumes of scrap and waste materials consisting of mainly concrete and steel arise from decommissioning nuclear facilities. Already in 1996, approximately 30 million tonnes (t) of scrap metals were estimated to be generated by the dismantling and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The inherent value of these materials and the need to reduce the volume of material destinated for radioactive waste disposal facilities make their recovery through recucling and reuse not only prudent, but necessary. In 992, the NEA Co-operative programme on decommissioning (CPD) commissioned a Task Group on recycling and reuse to review the practice of recycling and reuse within the nuclear industry and to identify obstacles to recovering scrap materials resulting from decommissioning activities. Its findings and conclusions are outlined in this report.