A NEW government-appointed group given the task of deciding what to do with the UK's radioactive waste is set to meet in Ipswich today .The independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) was due to meet in front of members of the public at the Corn Exchange this afternoon.

A NEW government-appointed group given the task of deciding what to do with the UK's radioactive waste is set to meet in Ipswich today .

The independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) was due to meet in front of members of the public at the Corn Exchange this afternoon.

The committee is holding a series of consultation meetings around the country to get the public's opinions how to manage radioactive waste.

CoRWM will report back to ministers on the best options, which have the support of the public, for the safe management of the waste already in storage and future waste which will need to be handled.

It will not make recommendations on where the waste will be managed.

Nuclear waste sources include nuclear power plants, such as Sizewell in Suffolk, military bases and hospitals. It is currently stored at dozens of sites around the country.

There is presently no long-term solution for the handling of the 80,000 cubic metres of nuclear waste in the UK.

Suggestions for dealing with the waste range from storing it in surface or underground repositories to launching it into space.

CoRWM chair Gordon MacKerron said: "The Government has tasked us with finding the safest, most manageable and technically feasible solution which has the support of the public.

"To achieve that, people need to be aware of what we are doing and see how we make decisions."

The CoRWM meeting will take place in Ipswich Corn Exchange today and Town Hall, King Street, tomorrow.

The public is invited to watch the committee at work, and also to ask questions during two half-hour sessions from 1pm today and 1.30pm tomorrow.

To find out more about CoRWM, email contact@corwm.org.uk or telephone 020 7082 8491.

Weblink: www.corwm.org.uk.

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