Loppusijoittaa

Loppusijoittaa is a Finnish verb meaning to place waste in a final disposal facility for long-term containment. The corresponding noun loppusijoitus describes the act or the stage of final disposal. In waste management, loppusijoitus refers to permanently depositing materials that cannot be recycled or recovered in a purpose-built repository designed to isolate contaminants from the environment.

The practice is governed by strict safety and regulatory requirements. Final disposal typically involves characterizing and conditioning waste, obtaining licenses, building a safety case, conducting environmental impact assessments, designing engineering barriers, and implementing monitoring during operation and after closure. The overarching goal is long-term containment of hazardous substances, including radioactive waste, to protect human health and ecosystems.

In Finland, the concept is closely associated with the disposal of spent nuclear fuel in a deep geological repository. The plan is led by the Posiva consortium, which designs a repository to isolate waste in bedrock for very long time scales. National authorities oversee compliance with national regulations and international guidelines, such as those from the IAEA, as well as EU directives on nuclear safety and waste management.

Etymology: loppu means end or final, sijoittaa means to place or deposit; together they form the verb meaning to place waste in a final disposal facility. In scientific, regulatory, and policy texts, loppusijoittaa is used to describe the act of final disposal and its regulatory or technical context.