The Power and Limits of Classification: Radioactive Waste Categories as Reshaped by Disposal Options

peer reviewed ; How does naming an object affect the way it is or could be managed? This paper examines and compares classification systems for radioactive waste applied by the IAEA and in France, Canada and Belgium. I analyze how the relevant actors classify radioactive objects and, in so doing, prescribe their management. By comparing and describing four established classification systems, I highlight how the IAEA and national classification systems for radioactive waste systematically associate the “high-level radioactive waste” category with the “deep geological disposal” option. Building... Mehr ...