The Government published on 26 March 2007 a new policy for the management of solid low level radioactive waste (LLW). The new policy requires, among other things, producers of LLW to produce waste management plans and stresses the need to avoid and minimise the creation of radioactive waste. It also requires the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to assess the need for new long term disposal facilities for LLW.

It is expected that in future more LLW will be generated than up until now, primarily because of the NDA's clean-up of the UK's older nuclear sites and clean-up carried out under the new radioactively contaminated land regime (which came into force in August 2006).

The management of high and intermediate level radioactive waste is likely to be dealt with as part of the new round of public consultations the Government is going to carry out on new nuclear power plants. That consultation is expected to be launched in May 2007, when the Energy White Paper is published.