The evolution of RW collected since 2010 pointed initially to an annual increase of approximately 8m3 of waste after packaging. However, it should be noted that this trend was reversed in the last few years, with a decrease in the number and volume collected. It is important to highlight that these values cover a transitional period between two schemes - initially all radioactive materials without further planned use were automatically considered RW and sent for disposal, and after the entry into force of DL 156/2013 and PNGCIRR, the concepts of clearance and exclusion started to be applied. The application of the clearance levels (limits expressed in terms of concentration of activity and/or total activity below which radioactive waste is no longer under regulatory control, and may be delivered to the management of a third party as materials legally considered non-radioactive) and the exclusion levels (values expressed in terms of concentration of activity and/or total activity that cannot be exceeded to be considered exempt from the requirements of the legal system that establishes the legal and regulatory framework for the responsible and safe management of irradiated fuel and radioactive waste) has allowed, under normal circumstances, a reduction in the number and volume of RW to be collected and disposed of.
In the particular case of technetium generators, COMRSIN licensed storage sites which allow them to be released and managed as non-radioactive waste after an adequate period of time - for this reason the number of these generators sent for disposal has been reduced significantly. The same methodology also covers "seeds" used in brachytherapy.
For the "others" category in the year 2018, it should be noted that the total amount includes 2000 units of H-3 contaminated materials generated in research laboratories with an individual mass of 2g and an individual activity of 3900 Bq. This waste, although the number of units appears to be high, represents only 2 containers with a total volume of 120 L. Also in 2020, the total amount includes 2619 units of materials contaminated with H-3 from the same source, with an individual mass of 8g and an individual activity of 31000 Bq. This waste represents 5 containers with a total volume of 300 L. The remaining waste included in this category has similar origins, mainly resulting from research and development activities.
Waste is managed at the Radioactive Waste Pavilion (RWP) operated by Instituto Superior Técnico. This pavilion has a usable volume of around 350m3, with 265 m3 occupied as of the last available evaluation.