Most of Australia’s nuclear waste comes from Lucas Heights – should it stay there?

Ansto nuclear waste repatriated from the UK arrives by ship at Port Kembla before being trucked to Lucas Heights earlier this year. Photograph: Ansto/AAP

The vast majority of Australia’s future radioactive waste will be produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Ansto) Lucas Heights facility in Sydney, the latest figures show.

For 40 years governments have pushed for a national radioactive waste storage facility, often claiming it is because currently waste is held at more than 100 sites across the country.