Great leap forward in recovery and reconstruction.
From Yomiuri Shinbun (1:38AM JST 8/10/2011):
東京電力福島第一原発事故により放射性物質が付着したがれきや汚泥の焼却灰について、環境省は１０日、すべての焼却灰について技術的に埋め立ては可能とする処理方針の原案を公表した。
On August 10, the Ministry of the Environment made public the base plan for the ashes from burning the debris and sludge that contain radioactive materials from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The plan would technically allow all the ashes to be buried.
同日開催された同省の有識者会議「災害廃棄物安全評価検討会」に示され、早ければ今月中に処理方針を固める。
The plan was given on the same day to the ministry's committee of experts to evaluate the safety of disaster debris disposal, and the ministry hopes to finalize the plan before the end of August.
同省は６月、放射性セシウム濃度が１キロ・グラム当たり８０００ベクレル以下の場合、最終処分場に埋め立ててもよいとする方針を発表したが、８０００ベクレルを超える場合は一時保管を求め、最終的な処分方法を示していなかった。原案では、８０００ベクレル超の焼却灰を埋め立てる場合、地下水の汚染を防ぐために、セシウムと水が接触しない状況を作るか、適切に排水処理をする必要があると指摘。８０００～１０万ベクレルの焼却灰については、〈１〉雨水が入らない屋根付き処分場を用いる〈２〉耐久性がある容器に入れる〈３〉セメントを混ぜて固める――などの措置を求めた。
In June, the ministry announced that the ashes that test up to 8,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium can be buried in the final disposal facilities. It called for the temporary storage of the ashes that exceed 8,000 becquerels/kg but didn't specify the final disposal procedure. In the base plan announced on August 10, to bury the ashes whose radioactive cesium exceeds 8,000 becquerels/kg, some measures need to be taken to prevent radioactive cesium from making contact with ground water, or to process the runoff appropriately. For the ashes that measure 8,000 to 100,000 becquerels/kg, the plan calls for: 1) processing facilities with roofs; 2) durable containers; 3) mixing the ashes with cement to solidify.
The whole plan is moot, because, on the side, the ministry has already told municipalities that they can "mix and match" - burn radioactive debris and sludge with non-radioactive debris and sludge to lower the radiation below whatever the limit the ministry sets, which has been 8,000 becquerels/kg and now 100,000 becquerels/kg if the plan gets an approval from the expert committee. The ministry set the limit for Fukushima Prefecture, then notified other prefectures to "refer to the Ministry's instruction to Fukushima Prefecture and notify the municipalities accordingly".
The Ministry of the Environment, which is likely to be selected as the new regulatory authority over the nuclear industry in Japan, is not very known for timely disclosure of information online. This base plan, if it is announced on their site, is buried so well that I can't find it. The latest information on the earthquake/tsunami disaster debris is dated July 28, which specified the "temporary" storage of the ashes that exceed 8,000 becquerels/kg of radioactive cesium.
It looks like the ministry is simply making this "temporary" storage into permanent.
Expertise to deal with anything radioactive is non-existent at this ministry. Good luck Japan.