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Efforts toward Final Disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture

About Managed Recycling

  • Regarding the removed soil and waste generated in Fukushima Prefecture; the national government is legally required to take necessary measures to complete final disposal outside the prefecture within 30 years from the start of transportation to the Interim Storage Facility (by March 2045).
  • The key to final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture is to reduce the volume of waste to be disposed of. To this end, it is necessary to develop technical, institutional, and social conditions that will enable the efficient reduction of the large amounts of removed soil and waste stored at the Interim Storage Facility, and the use of removed soil with low radioactivity concentration as recycled materials since soil is originally a valuable resource.
  • The basic policy approved by the Cabinet in November 2011 states that, with regard to removed soil, efforts should be made to reduce its volume as much as possible during storage or disposal, taking into account advances in technology, and that the managed recycling of removed soil with low radioactivity concentration, such as that separated as a result of volume reduction, should be considered while ensuring safety.
  • Therefore, in April 2016, the Ministry of the Environment formulated the “Technology Development Strategy for Volume Reduction & Recycling of the Removed Soil and Waste under Interim Storage.” Based on this strategy, the ministry has been accumulating data on safety and other aspects through demonstration projects for the recycling of removed soil in Fukushima Prefecture. In March 2025, the ministry formulated standards for managed recycling and published the “Guidelines for Managed Recycling.” In addition, the “Results of past initiatives toward final disposal Outside Fukushima Prefecture and Approaches beyond FY2025 (Summary of Technology Development Strategy for Volume Reduction & Recycling of the Removed Soil and Waste under Interim Storage)” was announced. Based on this, initiatives for managed recycling will be promoted in the future.

The Necessity of Managed Recycling of Removed Soil

Amount of removed soil and waste transported to the ISF

Standards for Managed Recycling

  • The Ministry of the Environment is conducting demonstration projects for recycling in Fukushima Prefecture to confirm radiation safety and verify specific management methods. It is also working to foster understanding among the entire population and improve the environment for full-scale recycling.
  • In August 2022, a working group was established to consider measures for the recycling of removed soil and waste from interim storage facilities. In March 2025, the “Enforcement Regulations for the Act on Special Measures concerning the handling of Environment Pollution by Radioactive Materials Discharged by the Nuclear Power Station Accident Associated with the Tohoku District-Off the Pacific Earthquake That Occurred on March 11, 2011” was amended as standards for managed recycling, and the “Guidelines for Managed Recycling” were announced.

Standard for Managed Recycling of Removed Soil

The main contents of the standard are as follows:

  1. Radioactive cesium concentration in removed soil processed into recycled materials
    ※Note: 8,000 Bq/kg or less (which means the additional effective dose of 1 mSv/year or less)
  2. Prevention of dispersion and runoff
  3. Measurement for the dose of radiation (during construction, operation and maintenance)
  4. Protection of the living environment (noise, vibration, etc.)
  5. Indication of the use of removed soil processed into recycled materials
  6. Record and preserve the location of use, amount used and radioactivity concentration of removed soil processed into recycled materials
  7. Consultation on the division of roles in construction and management with project operators, facility managers, etc.

* Under the Act1, the decontamination operator2 is responsible for the treatment of removed soil. Therefore, the decontamination operator is responsible for the use and management of removed soil processed into recycled material.

  1. Act on Special Measures concerning the handling of Environment Pollution by Radioactive Materials Discharged by the Nuclear Power Station Accident Associated with the Tohoku District-Off the Pacific Earthquake That Occurred on March 11, 2011
  2. “decontamination operator”:
    (1) For removed soil within Fukushima Prefecture: the national government (Ministry of the Environment)
    (2) For removed soil outside Fukushima Prefecture: municipalities of each prefecture

Image of managed recycling

Removed soil processed into recycled material, Covering to prevent dispersal and run-off removed soil

Concepts on Safe Use of the Soil from Off-site Decontamination Work after Recycling

  • MOE announced “Basic concept” in June 2016 to realize the use of the removed soil under proper management after volume reduction and recycling materialization as basic premise of radiation safety.
  • According to a policy of this Basic Concept, MOE implements demonstration project, confirms radiation safety, studies specific management system, as well as to foster understandings of public all over Japan, and proceed with full-scale recycling towards environmental improvement.

Demonstration Projects for the Managed Recycling in Fukushima Prefecture

  • In the Specified Reconstruction and Revitalization Base Areas in Iitate Village, whose plan was approved in April 2018, a demonstration project is in progress for the managed recycling of removed soil to be used as embankment after materialization, for agricultural land development, with cover soil on top of the removed soil.
  • The project was launched in April 2021 to build large-scale embankment for farmland, with approx. area of 22ha, and paddy and other cultivation demonstration projects began in sequence, from the areas, where the embankment constructions were completed.
  • In addition, in order to study the possibility of recycling in road construction, a demonstration project for road embankment was commenced in the premise of the Interim Storage Facility (ISF) in October 2022.
  • As a result of the past demonstration projects implemented in Fukushima, safety of the managed recycling of removed soil has been confirmed.
  • Based on these results, demonstration projects outside of Fukushima Prefecture are under consideration.
  • Based on the findings from the demonstration projects and discussions during the IAEA Experts Meetings, standards for the managed recycling Based on the findings of demonstration projects and discussions at expert meetings held by the IAEA, standards for managed recycling, etc. were formulated at the end of FY2024.

Agricultural land demonstration project in Nagadoro District, Iitate Village

July 2024 Structual Concept

Road embankment demonstration project in the premise of the ISF

March 2024 Structual concept

Consideration for the Final Disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture

  • Toward the final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture, demonstration projects have been carried out for volume reduction technology including classification and heat treatment, based on the Technology Development Strategy.
  • Based on the achievements of demonstration projects for volume reduction technologies implemented to date, the results of evaluations of volume reduction technologies and combinations of such technologies, which were considered in consultation with experts, were compiled at the end of fiscal 2024.
  • In addition, amendments to the Ministerial Ordinance and related notifications, including standards for landfill disposal based on estimated radioactivity concentration, were promulgated in March 2025.
  • Based on these studies, several options for the structure and required area of the final disposal site will be provided.

Example of combinations of volume reduction technologies for removed soil

Flow of combinations of volume reduction technologies for removed soil, and Picture of Fly ash cleaning facility

The IAEA Experts Meeting on Volume Reduction and Recycling of
Removed Soil Arising from Decontamination Activities

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