West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group

The Studsvik Metals Recycling facility in Lillyhall, Workington safely recycles large quantities of valuable scrap metal. This will help to ensure that the amount of Low Level Waste (LLW) that is sent for disposal to the National Low Level Waste Repository near Drigg in Cumbria is kept to a minimum. The facility was developed by Studsvik in line with UK low level waste policy and waste hierarchy for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste.

Studsvik is delivering real environmental benefits for the nuclear industry with a massive 98% size reduction in the latest waste treatment, at the Metals Recycling Facility in Workington. The latest waste consignment project saved for reuse nearly the entire contents of 12 half-height ISO containers showing the huge decrease in waste volume that would have been destined for the Low Level Waste Repository near Drigg. The scrap will be released back into the scrap metals market for a variety of uses.

The facility is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, Environment Agency, Office for Civil Nuclear Security and Cumbria County Council and was subject to a full Environmental Impact Assessment in 2007. Studsvik received its consent to accept radioactive waste onto site for treatment on the 1st September 2009.

The Studsvik Metal Recycling Facility is the first new nuclear licensed site to be brought into operation in the UK in over 20 years. Low level radioactive waste metal will be processed at the facility by size reduction and shot-blasting. Studsvik UK Limited launched the opening of the Metal Recycling Facility on Wednesday 6th May 2009 and was officially opened by Phil Davies, Head of Waste and Nuclear Materials at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Malcolm Smith, Special Projects Director of Babcock Marine.