Today, on 8 July the Government of the Republic approved the conditions for transit and movement of radioactive waste into and out of Estonia for the purpose of waste treatment. Shipment of radioactive waste into Estonia for final disposal of waste is prohibited. The newly adopted regulation establishes common requirements for shipment of radioactive waste between Member States of the European Union as well as into and out of the European Community. The need to move radioactive waste from one country to another occurs for several reasons. So, for instance, smaller quantities of organic radioactive waste are often shipped to another country for incineration because the incinerator is expensive to acquire and maintain. Generally, the country where waste is incinerated returns the radioactive residues derived from incineration to the country that owns the waste. Therefore, the movement of radioactive waste as dangerous substances needs to be monitored and controlled and common requirements need to be established for transboundary shipment of such waste. The principles of the movement of radioactive waste lso apply to equipment using aged radiation sources. As a rule, agreements are made with the suppliers of such equipment prescribing that the manufacturer will collect the depreciated equipment. As there are no manufacturers of equipment using radiation sources in Estonia, all such equipment is returned to foreign manufacturers. Considering that right now there is no possibility in Estonia to provide the service of radioactive waste treatment (e.g., incineration) to other countries, the shipment of such waste into Estonia cannot be expected. Further information: Monika Kopti |
