An integrated approach tailored to the local
community
NIRAS changed its methodology for selecting a disposal site through the partnership
system. Initially NIRAS assumed that the disposal installation would be designed
and that an appropriate location would then be found. From 1998 NIRAS considered
the possibility of designing an installation adapted to the characteristics
of the site. At the same time the conditions the local community set also had
to be met and the disposal installation had to be integrated in a broader project
that could mean an added value for the region.
Surface disposal
In order to isolate the low and medium active short-lived waste from man and
environment, a disposal infrastructure could be designed on the surface or just
under the surface at a site where it is possible to build installations that
will retain sufficient integrity at least for the control period of 200 to 300
years.
The preliminary designs of the disposal installations were developed on the basis of the characteristics of the site and the substrate of a site. The concerns and values of the local community are described in the corresponding conditions. These range from the prior importance to be placed on safety, health and the environment, to conditions attempting to achieve a social, economic and cultural added value for the municipality concerned. The fulfilment of some of these conditions could also bring an added value beyond the municipal boundaries.
For more information please also refer to the website www.stora.org.
The concept of surface disposal developed by STOLA-Dessel