Published at 15:55, Wednesday, 26 January 2011

IN 2007 the UK’s attitude towards the treatment of Low Level Waste (LLW) from the nuclear industry – which includes scrap metals which when cleaned can be recycled – changed when the Government published a policy for its long-term management.

Over the next few years this is likely to mean more job opportunities for young West Cumbrians as Studsvik plays its part in implementing the so-called Waste Hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

The historical destination of the majority of metallic LLW was the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) in West Cumbria. Studsvik is now part of a framework agreement with the LLWR and two other companies to offer alternative ways of managing metallic LLW – one of which is to send it for treatment and recycling. This will also extend the life expectancy of the LLWR.

Our MRF at Lillyhall started accepting scrap metals for decontamination and recycling in September 2009. Our parent company in Sweden has been safely doing this for two decades at the rate of 5,000 tonnes a year whilst our MRF is designed to process up to 3,000 tonnes a year. Current estimates put the available tonnage of potentially treatable LLW in the UK at 500,000 tonnes, which suggests plenty of work for the foreseeable future.

The indications for job prospects in our industry are encouraging, particularly as the MRF’s reputation grows and the nuclear industry’s own attitude to LLW disposal shifts to reflect Government policy. Metals recycling offer a wide range of well-paid career opportunities in health physics, safety & assurance and management with jobs including administrators, semi-skilled and skilled operators and engineers. Transferable engineering and technical skills are particularly relevant to the NDA’s own strategy towards Low Level Radioactive Waste Management.

Our geographical location is clearly significant. West Cumbria is steeped in the traditional heavy industries and metals recycling shares many common industrial practices. Then there is the proximity of Sellafield and the LLWR which are seen to the largest provider of metals for recycling as nationwide decommissioning of the country’s aging Magnox nuclear plants gets underway.

Studsvik’s vision is to be the UK’s leading provider of waste management services to the nuclear industry and we are always developing exciting and innovative initiatives. With health and safety the highest priority at our MRF – and Studsvik recently reached 1,000,000 man hours without a reportable lost time reportable accident – the welfare of our employees is paramount.

My advice to young people reading this column is this: careers in the metals recycling industry can be technically challenging, personally rewarding and are an integral part of the vision for the Energy Coast.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk