Subscribe now

THE UK’s nuclear waste is not going to be fired into space, frozen into polar ice or dumped in the sea. After 18 months of debate, government advisers have instead decided that the best place for it is a hole in the ground.

Long-lived waste should be buried deep underground, either permanently, or so it can be retrieved if something goes wrong, concludes the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM). But it does not say where, and a shortlist of geologically suitable sites drawn up in the 1990s has not been made public. The waste may remain where it is…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

Popular articles

Trending New Scientist articles

Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop