The processing of organic waste is a rapidly developing field. Various treatment and conditioning options are being investigated, developed and widely applied. This report revises and summarizes available information on different treatment and conditioning options applied for predisposal management of organic radioactive waste.

This Safety Guide is applicable to the predisposal management of radioactive waste derived from the use of radioactive materials in medicine, industry, agriculture, research and education, including disused sealed radioactive sources. It focuses on waste generated at facilities such as hospitals and research centres, where radioactive waste is not usually generated in bulk quantities. It covers the managerial, administrative and technical issues associated with the safe management of radioactive waste, from its generation to its acceptance at a disposal facility or its release from regulatory control.

Radiation sources used in research and education include particle accelerators, sealed radioactive sources, such as low activity check sources and high activity sealed radioactive sources in irradiators; unsealed radioactive sources that are used as tracers in field work and in laboratory work; naturally occurring radioactive material and X ray generators such as diffraction apparatus and fluorescence analyzers. This Safety Guide provides recommendations on how to meet the relevant requirements of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 3 in the use of radiation sources in research and education. It provides guidance on the control of occupational exposure and of public exposure, for planned exposure situations and, where appropriate, emergency exposure situations and on the safety measures specific to this practice. The recommendations in this publication are aimed primarily at operating organizations such as educational and research establishments including schools, colleges, universities and technical institutes that are authorized to use radiation sources in academic programs, as well as their employees, students, teachers and radiation protection officers. The guidance will also be of interest to individuals working for regulatory bodies and other relevant organizations involved in design, manufacture, supply and service of radiation sources and associated equipment for research and education.

This guide contains recommendations and guidance on the fulfilment of the safety requirements established in the publication "Predisposal management of radioactive waste, including decommissioning" (Safety Standards Series No. WS-R-2, 2000, ISBN 9201003005). It covers the roles and responsibilities of different bodies involved in the predisposal management of radioactive waste and in the handling and processing of radioactive material.

The classification of radioactive waste varies from state to state. This results in different management procedures for each country, while following IAEA and OECD/NEA recommendations. Radioactive waste comes from numerous sources. The largest volumes are generated by the decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear facilities. Long-lived, medium- and high-activity waste – categorized as the most hazardous types of waste – are in fact largely produced by nuclear power reactors, spent fuel reprocessing plants and nuclear accidents. Final disposal of very low-activity, low-activity and very short-lived waste is well controlled. However, final solutions for certain categories, including long-lived waste, sorted waste and spent graphite waste, are not yet in place. Management of Radioactive Waste reviews all the possible solutions and presents those chosen by the various states, including a chapter detailing policy on radioactive waste management, taking France as an example.

There are a large number of facilities and activities around the world in which radioactive material is produced, handled and stored. This Safety Requirements publication presents international consensus requirements for the management of radioactive waste prior to its disposal. It provides the safety imperatives on the basis of which facilities can be designed, operated and regulated. The publication is supported by a number of Safety guides that provide up to date recommendations and guidance on best practices for management of particular types of radioactive waste, for storage of radioactive waste, for assuring safety by developing safety cases and supporting safety assessments, and for applying appropriate management systems.