ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how one might approach the waste-management problem with the goal of defining an equitable and socially acceptable waste-management system. It aims to demonstrate how an explicit consideration of equity changes the manner in which alternative radioactive waste managenent proposals are analyzed and evaluated. Much the same can be said for the radioactive wastes from medical and research facilities. This waste, nearly all of which is low-level, comprises an insignificant amount of the total waste burden. Increasing the multiplicity of sites is a major means of achieving risk sharing as well as simplifying the transport system. The benefits of radioactive wastes are essentially the benefits of nuclear energy used for defense purposes or the production of electricity. A satisfactory resolution of the radioactive waste problem is inextricably linked with the fate of nuclear energy as a technology.
