All human activities inevitably produce some kind of waste. Wastes which are toxic and cannot be recycled or destroyed must be disposed of carefully. Waste disposal has been a major areas of study for the last three decades and there is now a general agreement that, if properly done, emplacement into deep geological formations can provide safe isolation from the biosphere.

For wastes which are particularly toxic and long lived, especially the radioactive wastes which cause particular concern in the general public, the demonstration of the safety of disposal needs to be especially rigorous. It is thus not enough to carry out studies in normal laboratories. Experiments must also be carried out in deep underground environments similar to those selected to host a real repository.

Radioactive waste materials are generated from medicine, industry, research and power generation.