Wastes containing any natural or artificial substance that emits ionising radiation spontaneously must be classified on the basis of both their radioactive and other characteristics, according to the step-by-step procedure outlined below.
Classification of wastes containing radioactive material
Step 1
The radioactivity of the waste must be assessed in accordance with the Radiation Control Act 1990 and the Radiation Control Regulation 2003.
Step 2
Liquid or non-liquid wastes with a specific activity greater than 100 becquerels per gram and consisting of, or containing more than, the prescribed activity of a radioactive element in Schedule 1 of the Radiation Control Regulation 2003, whether natural or artificial, must be classified as hazardous wastes.
Step 3
For liquid or non-liquid wastes with a specific activity of 100 becquerels per gram or less and/or consisting of, or containing, the prescribed activity or less of a radioactive element in Schedule 1 of the Radiation Control Regulation 2003, whether natural or artificial, the total activity ratio and specific activity ratio must be calculated according to the mathematical expressions below:
Total activity ratio is calculated using the expression:
Total activity ratio = (A1 x 10-3) + (A2 x 10-4) + (A3 x 10-5) + (A4 x 10-6)
where A1 to A4 are the total activity of Group 1 to Group 4 radionuclides, as set out in Column 1 of Schedule 1 of the Radiation Control Regulation 2003.
Specific activity ratio is calculated using the expression:
Specific activity ratio = SA1 + (SA2 x 10-1) + (SA3 x 10-2) + (SA4 x 10-3)
where SA1 to SA4 are the specific activity (of the material) of Group 1 to Group 4 radionuclides, as set out in Column 1 of Schedule 1 of the Radiation Control Regulation 2003.
‘Specific activity’ is defined in the Code of Practice for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency 2008) as follows:
‘Specific activity of a radionuclide shall mean the activity per unit mass of that nuclide. The specific activity of a material shall mean the activity per unit mass of the material in which
the radionuclides are essentially uniformly distributed.’
The Code is referred to in clause 25 of the Radiation Control Regulation 2003.
‘Total activity’ of a material means the activity of the whole of the material in which the radionuclides are essentially uniformly distributed (determined using 1-kilogram representative samples of the whole material).
Step 4
Where the specific activity ratio or total activity ratio is greater than one, the waste must be classified as follows:
Liquid wastes must be managed on a case-by-case basis. Advice on the appropriate management of such materials should be sought from DECC on (02) 9995 5959.
Non-liquid wastes must be classified as restricted solid waste unless:
other characteristics of the waste mean that it must be classified as hazardous waste (for example, it may be pre-classified as hazardous waste in accordance with Step 3 of Part 1of the Waste Classification Guidelines [DECC 2008; available atwww.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/envguidlns/index.htm])
or
it may contain chemical contaminants that will lead to its assessment as hazardous waste (see Step 5 of Part 1 of the Waste Classification Guidelines [DECC 2008; available at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/envguidlns/index.htm]).
Step 5
Where the specific activity ratio and total activity ratio are equal to or less than one, the waste must be classified according to its other characteristics in line with Part 1 of the Waste Classification Guidelines [DECC 2008; available at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/envguidlns/index.htm].
Source & for more information: Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water NSW
Waste Classification Guidelines Part 3:Waste Containing Radioactive Material
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