Most radioactive waste from nuclear applications consists of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS). Indeed, in various devices in medical, industrial and agricultural installations, radioactive sources are used. The IAEA believes that for countries that have limited quantities of radioactive waste, disposal could theoretically involve safe, secure, and permanent placement inside boreholes, deep underground.

The borehole disposal system is a detailed, technical-level system. It allows the safe, secure, and permanent removal of all categories of DSRS (1 to 5) in specially constructed boreholes tens of meters in the ground. According to Nora Zakaria, Head of the IAEA Waste Technology Section, “borehole disposal is an appropriate and cost-effective solution in general, as it is specifically designed for the disposal of DSRS and is economically affordable compared to other disposal routes, such as geological disposal.”