Dounreay waste heading for incineration to reduce space used in vaults

Waste from Dounreay is being incinerated as part of the decommissioning of the former nuclear power plant.

Fourteen 200-litre drums of low-level waste were recently transported to waste treatment company Tradebe for incineration.

This is a new offsite disposal route that Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) says will enable it to start to look towards use of further diversion routes for some low-level waste contaminated materials – including personal protective equipment, bunding, tools and glass – so that they can be sent to incineration instead of taking up disposal space in the site’s low-level waste vaults.

DSRL assistant project manager Catherine Strathdee said: "By opening this combustible waste route, we are making decisions that are right for the business and the community and will minimise the overall disposal space we will need to support the decommissioning programme."

DSRL head of waste operations Alistair Ross added: "This is another big step forward for the site. We plan to continue to build on this trial to optimise our waste routing decisions, balancing the needs of the waste producers with meeting our legislative and moral obligations to become a more sustainable organisation."

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