A study on the clearance waste recycling scenario in the decommissioning of Korea’s nuclear power plants

•We reviewed the recycling options of metal and concrete clearance waste generated from the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.•The optimal recycling method for clearance waste was determined.•Evaluation criteria were fixed by analyzing direct or indirect influencing factors.•Weight of each criterion was calculated using the Fuzzy-AHP methodology.•Public Acceptance, National Policy and Regulatory Requirements were leading factors. This study aimed to suggest an optimal recycling approach for metal and concrete clearance waste generated most from the decommissioning of Korea’s nuclear power plants. The current status of domestic and foreign clearance waste recycling was reviewed. By analyzing factors that can directly or indirectly affect the recycling of clearance wastes, evaluation criteria for an optimal recycling scenario of the clearance wastes were fixed. Thereafter, the importance (weightage) of each criterion was calculated using the Fuzzy-AHP methodology, and based on such weightage, an optimal clearance waste recycling approach was suggested suitable for the domestic nuclear environment. Resulting from comparing/reviewing the top tier (level 1) evaluation criteria, “Public Acceptance (PA)” and “National Policy and Regulatory Requirements” were shown as the most important criteria. Among the second level (level 2) evaluation criteria, “PA for Recycling” and “Compliance with Regulatory Requirements” were evaluated as dominant criteria in this study, and then using these evaluation criteria, an analysis was performed to select optimal probable clearance waste recycling scenarios, which evaluated that unrestricted use was preferred. This was probably because of the fact that the survey team was composed of experts in nuclear field who were well aware that recycling of clearance waste in general industries does not have a significant effect in terms of radiation safety. However, considering the local condition, clearance waste recycling can be rejected by the public just because such wastes are discharged from nuclear power plants, and hence there is a need for policy and institutional improvement on clearance waste recycling that can reassure the public and the scientific safety of clearance waste. Additionally, to improve PA, it is necessary to share related information through the participation of stakeholders in the decommissioning process of nuclear power plants, and to prepare specific measures to disclose all routes from the generation to d