Where there is work and production, there is waste. The same applies to working with radioactivity. A nuclear power plant, a hospital, an oil platform, research institutes: they all produce waste which is radioactive. Sometimes a lot, sometimes not so much. From gloves and syringes from the hospital to spent nuclear fuel rods from a nuclear power plant during the production of electricity. Radioactive waste is also produced when demolishing nuclear power plants and laboratories which work with radioactivity, like hospitals. Because concrete can also become radioactive due to the radiation. NRG develops techniques to:

• accurately measure the radioactivity and composition of the waste,
• pack waste safely and efficiently so that the radioactivity does not get into the environment.

Radioactive waste in the Netherlands is collected and stored by one company: COVRA, the Central Organisation for Radioactive Waste in Vlissingen. Before the waste can be stored, it must be packed properly and safely. For example, by mixing the waste with concrete and then put in special steel vessels.

Just as with non-radioactive waste, storage costs money. The more waste and the more radioactive it is, the more storage costs. It is therefore important to separate the radioactive waste from the non-radioactive waste as well as possible: that saves money. NRG has developed a method which can calculate which parts of a laboratory or nuclear power plant being demolished are the most or least radioactive. This enables you to calculate the costs in advance. With the results of the calculations, you can also make a plan to optimally separate the most radioactive waste from the rest.