New products are in development that may more than halve the volume of nuclear waste. (Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images)
The technique known as hot isostatic press (HIP) waste form uses high temperatures and pressures to compress the radioactive waste into a type of ceramic.
The resulting material is reduced in volume by over 65 per cent and is extremely stable, capable of lasting hundreds of thousands of years without breaking down.
The technology was developed by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and is currently being tested on waste in the US and UK.
According to ANSTO's annual report, the US Department of Energy, which funds the US trial, has estimated the new technology could save between two and four billion dollars in disposal costs.
