The Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) involves isolating nuclear waste deep underground in suitable geological formations and placing it in highly engineered vaults and tunnels. A GDF will be constructed 200 to 1,000 metres below ground or beneath the seabed. At this depth, waste will be protected from natural events like earthquakes and long-term environmental changes such as future ice ages or sea level rises. The facility works by using a multi-barrier approach in which engineered and natural barriers work together to contain and isolate the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste, keeping it safe and secure over the many thousands of years it will take for the radioactivity to naturally reduce.