The issue of the management of metal wastes arising from the UK nuclear industry is one that must be addressed as the amount of waste increases due to the increasing decommissioning activities being undertaken at many of the UK’s nuclear sites. NNC Ltd was commissioned to conduct a literature review into the potential application of metal melting in the UK nuclear sector examining the opportunities and barriers to developing integrated strategies in the UK for managing contaminated metal wastes. In 2004, a workshop was held on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive to facilitate wider discussion of this topic and consider the potential merits and likely barriers to the implementation of metal melting as part of a radioactive waste management strategy and the benefits, if any, of seeking to address these constraining factors. Representatives of the nuclear industry along with regulators and other interested parties attended the workshop. The key question “What is the optimum strategy for the management of the UK’s metallic radioactive waste?” is considered in this paper which outlines the findings of the literature review and the focus of discussions in the workshop.