Radioactive waste; delivery

According to the Atomic Energy Act (§ 9a AtG), the federal states must set up state collection points for the acceptance and interim storage of radioactive waste. These are used for the proper collection, treatment and forwarding of radioactive waste to federal facilities for final disposal

The Free State of Bavaria has founded GRB Sammelstelle Bayern für radioaktive Stoffe GmbH (GRB) for this purpose. The company has all the necessary permits, facilities and storage options in Mitterteich.
The waste mainly comes from hospitals, doctors' surgeries and research facilities. It mainly consists of contaminated protective clothing, syringes, cleaning materials and disused radiation sources, test lamps and experimental equipment.

The Bavarian state collection point accepts radioactive waste,

• which a party obliged to deliver has to deliver to it in accordance with Section 5 (4) of the Nuclear Waste Management Ordinance (AtEV) and which complies with the provisions of its acceptance conditions (see "Further links") and
• subject to approval by the Bavarian State Collection Agency, waste whose delivery has been approved by the competent authority in accordance with Section 5 (5) of the Nuclear Waste Management Ordinance (AtEV).

If the radioactive waste contains "nuclear material" within the meaning of EURATOM Regulation 2025/974 of 26.05.2025, the delivery of this radioactive waste to the Bavarian State Collection Point is possible subject to the approval of the Bavarian State Collection Point and may require a separate agreement. "Nuclear material" within the meaning of EURATOM Regulation 2025/974 is Natural uranium, depleted uranium, enriched uranium, thorium, plutonium.

The radioactive waste accepted by the Bavarian state collection point is checked for the possibility of harmless recycling. If this shows that recycling is possible and economically justifiable according to the state of the art in science and technology, the radioactive waste is recycled as residual material. Otherwise, the waste is disposed of in an orderly manner.

In accordance with Section 5 (6) of the Nuclear Waste Management Ordinance (AtEV), the state collection point generally transfers the radioactive waste it stores to a federal facility for the safekeeping and final disposal of radioactive waste.

• Handling permit of the waste producer

The waste producer has a license to handle radioactive materials in accordance with the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV until 2018) or the Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG from 2019).

Certain requirements must be met for the disposal of radioactive waste via the Bavarian state collection point (see "Acceptance conditions" under "Further links").

Delivery of the radioactive waste must be applied for in writing by the deliverer to the Bavarian State Collection Agency using the application and consignment bill and the form for the material description of the waste. Both forms must be sent to the Landessammelstelle Bayern for each waste container, fully completed and signed.

On the basis of these documents, the Landessammelstelle Bayern checks whether the conditions for accepting the radioactive waste have been met and informs the deliverer of the delivery or collection date and details of the delivery.

If the Landessammelstelle Bayern cannot accept the radioactive waste applied for, it will inform the applicant and, if possible, provide information on other disposal routes.

When transporting radioactive waste, the relevant legal regulations, in particular the German Ordinance on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Road, Rail and Inland Waterways (GGVSEB), must be observed. A collection service is offered for the delivery of radioactive waste to the Bavarian state collection point.