The low level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facility at Drigg, Cumbria has been operational from 1959 and has sufficient capacity to accept the majority of predicted UK LLW arisings for at least the next 50 years.

Disposal operations commenced with tumble tipping waste into trenches. However, the development concept of the site has been continually updated in line with the current international best practice and, from the 1980s, trench disposal was phased-out in favour of disposal of containerised, compacted waste in concrete vaults. It has been shown that there are potentially significant environmental impacts associated with disposals of uranium and thorium to the trenches. Significant exposures result from the migration of radionuclides in groundwater, the potential disruption of the site by coastal erosion or glaciation, and inadvertent human intrusion.

An assessment of potential site management options aimed at reducing these impacts showed that, based on current site understanding and taking into account environmental, social and economic factors, the current site development plan is an appropriate solution for the optimum management of impacts and associated uncertainties. Impacts associated with current and predicted disposals to the vaults are generally acceptable and future inventory control will have a relatively small overall effect on site impacts