Radioactive waste produced in Greece arises from authorised practices involving ionising radiation, which involve the use of radioisotopes in the form of open or sealed radioactive sources. Primarily, this relates to the medical sector (nuclear medicine and radiotherapy) and, to a lesser extent, to the industrial and research sectors. The majority of this waste is very short-lived, low-level waste (internationally referred to as VSLW – very short-lived waste), which, following on-site management of short duration (a few days) , falls below the clearance limits and can be released into the environment.

Apart from this, however, in our country relatively small but significant quantities of radioactive waste are produced that require long-term safe management:

a. Solid radioactive waste originating from past activities and the operation of the ‘Demokritos’ National Centre for Scientific Research’s research reactor. By way of example, resins, sediments, historical waste, and activated and radioactively contaminated materials.

b. Radioactive materials from old consumer products, such as, for example, radioactive lightning conductors, fire detectors and devices containing fluorescent materials.

c. Radioactive materials arising from the decommissioning of the research reactor at the ‘Demokritos’ National Centre for Scientific Research and/or other facilities (e.g. cyclotrons).

d. Disused radioactive sources, exposed sources and radioactive materials, which are temporarily stored at their holders’ premises, including the ‘Demokritos’ National Centre for Scientific Research (EKEFE) Radioactive Sources and Waste Management Facility.

Management methods

In accordance with Directive 2011/70/Euratom, each Member State is responsible for and undertakes the management of radioactive waste generated within its territory. The Greek State is obliged to manage radioactive waste generated by activities within the country and falling within the jurisdiction of the Greek State, in accordance with the basic principles of ‘national policy’, as set out in Articles 4, 18, 19, 21 and 24 of Joint Ministerial Decision No. 35225/2023 (B’ 2638/21 April 2023).

Radioactive waste decays according to the half-life of the isotope it contains. For example, of a quantity of cobalt (Co-60) will be reduced by half after a period of approximately five years, i.e. a time equal to the half-life of the cobalt-60 (Co-60) isotope. Each isotope has its own half-life, which can range from very short—e.g. 12 seconds for barium (Ba-143)—to very long, e.g. 1,577 years for radium (Ra-226), 5,730 years for carbon (C-14), etc. Thus, certain isotopes – and consequently radioactive waste – never ‘decay’ and require long-term, careful management (cases a to d above), whilst for others — particularly the short-lived ones — simple, on-site management is sufficient (radioactive waste from diagnostic tests or treatments, e.g. in nuclear medicine, or from research laboratories).

Until its final disposal, the management of radioactive waste is based on methods of temporary or medium- to long-termstorage, which usually also involves appropriate intermediate treatment (e.g. separation, volume reduction, etc.). Furthermore, in many cases it is possible to recycle ‘suitable’ radioactive waste (primarily disused sealed radioactive sources) so that it can be reused rather than added to the volume of radioactive waste requiring management. It should be noted that the indefinite storage of radioactive materials and waste is not an acceptable final disposal solution.

In our country, there is as yet no radioactive waste disposal facility, and the management of radioactive waste consists of interim storage.

According to international standards, the final disposal of radioactive waste can be carried out in two ways:

• by release into the environment, provided that the statutory release levels, as described in the Radiation Protection Regulations (Presidential Decree 101/2018), are met,
• by disposal (i.e. permanent and final disposal, with no intention of retrieval) at an authorised radioactive waste disposal facility.

There are various types of radioactive waste disposal facilities, such as, for example, landfill disposal, near-surface disposal, disposal in a borehole several tens of metres deep, etc. The choice of disposal facility type depends on many factors, such as the type, form, condition and quantity of the radioactive waste, the containers (packaging) of the radioactive waste, existing and future environmental conditions (geological, seismological, hydrological, etc.), land-use development plans, existing and future infrastructure and site availability, economic and social factors, etc.

Furthermore, there are no facilities for the recycling of radioactive materials; consequently, the final management of such recyclable radioactive materials requires their export from the country to an authorised recycling facility abroad.

Inventory of radioactive waste and disused radioactive sources in the country (July 2026):

The above quantities represent the total of the inventory of waste and sources arising from activities in the medical, research and industrial sectors, as well as from the operation and decommissioning of the GRR-1 research reactor at the National Centre for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’ ‘Demokritos’ or other facilities (e.g. cyclotrons). The list includes quantities stored at facilities or due to be produced in various regions of the country, including Attica, Boeotia, Lamia, Corinth, Magnesia, Thessaloniki, Chalkidiki and Kavala.

• See the analysis of the catalogue of radioactive waste and disused sources in Greece (nit should be noted that there is no high-level waste (HLW) or spent nuclear fuel in Greece).
• See here for information on the current Radioactive Waste and Source Management Facility at the National Centre for Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’.
• See here for an explanatory video on what radioactive waste is, as well as how it is managed in Greece.