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21/10/2009 Landfills - a nuclear option?
Entry from 'Thoughts from the Kerbside' - The Big Wheelie Bin Blog
A thoughtful and sometimes humourous look at the world of waste, brought to you by industry observers. We'd like to create a vibrant blogger community going forward, so if you'd like to become a regular blogger for LAWR, please get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!  According to The Guardian, the Government is poised to allow nuclear power generators to use ordinary landfill sites to offload hundreds of thousands of tons of waste. Because UK plc is broke, and the main nuclear waste dump site at Drigg in Cumbria is getting full, landfill sites are considered a cheap way to offload this toxic material and reduce the £73B decommissioning costs. I say toxic material, but apparently it's 'low level toxicity' - such as building rubble from various facilities within nuclear power complexes. But surely that is beside the point. Drigg is a properly licensed site - custom-built to handle nuclear waste. Most landfill sites aren't. I mean, what are we going to do, retrofit them? And surely this contravenes EU legislation surrounding landfill bans - it must do. Well, it certainly hasn't put off some of the big waste contractors who are reportedly queuing up to try and cash in on this potential new business. I hear projects are already underway to build mini landfills on-site where some of these nuclear reactors are, which makes more sense if they are constructed from scratch. But then, you are building more landfill - not ideal by any means. But what really worries me is the utilisation of existing landfills, and everything that entails - handling, transport, health and safety, the list could go on. One expert I spoke to also pointed out that many landfills are situated in dark countryside; he was concerned about possible light radiation impacts. This is obviously a complicated subject, and I probably don't know the half of it. But I'm eager to find out more. If you have any views or added insight then do get in touch - it will help me with my digging. Maxine Perella, editor of LAWR 
© Faversham House Group Ltd 2009. LAWR articles may be copied or forwarded
for individual use only. No other reproduction or distribution is permitted without prior written consent.
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Is waste still a dirty word when it comes to public perception?
Yes, they don't see the potential value of it Maybe, but attitudes are slowly changing No, it has almost become sexy! 
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