Dean Warren, CRWM, MCIWM, Maintenance Mechanic/Sustainability coordinator at Nuclear Restoration Services, talks about his professional path embedding sustainability in nuclear decommissioning.
My professional path is positioned at the intersection of practical engineering and sustainable resource management.
In May 2021, I joined Magnox – now Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) – as a maintenance mechanic at a nuclear waste processing facility in Oxfordshire.
Simultaneously, I achieved Chartered Resource and Waste Manager (CRWM) status with CIWM. While these paths may not seem to naturally align, they together shape my approach to sustainability in one of the UK’s most highly regulated environments.
The idea of sustainability has consistently been a central theme in my life, weaving together many of my passions and interests into a cohesive framework.
My Fellowships with institutions like the Royal Society of Arts, which, since its beginning, has always supported a daring notion: that human creativity, when cultivated in the right environment, can address the planet’s most pressing challenges, is something that resonates profoundly with me.
The Royal Anthropological Institute, which serves as a nexus for art, anthropology, and sustainability, enables me to engage with remarkable individuals who are part of the environmental anthropology and sustainability conversation.
My Fellowship with the Linnean Society of London, acknowledged as the oldest academic institution dedicated to natural history, offers a remarkable opportunity to delve into insights concerning nature, climate, and conservation.
Additionally, as a member of the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), which is dedicated to promoting sustainable engineering practices in the industry, I have been inspired to apply for Registered Environmental Practitioner status through their organisation.
Each of these institutions represents a thread in the ever-evolving tapestry that shapes my comprehension of how sustainability can be implemented and how they are entwined.
I am based at the NRS Harwell site, formerly the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, one of the most historically significant nuclear research facilities in Europe.
As the site approaches its 80th anniversary, decommissioning continues alongside a major programme of land release for redevelopment, supporting the growth of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.
This transition, from nuclear research to future-focused innovation, captures the essence of sustainable legacy management.
In my day-to-day role, I work within a small maintenance team keeping essential systems operational. Maintenance activities inevitably generate waste, and in the nuclear sector, this demands rigorous control.
Waste arising from even routine tasks must be fully characterised, documented, monitored, and approved before it can be transferred.
My CRWM background enables me to support this process by ensuring waste streams are appropriately classified, documentation is robust, and opportunities to minimise waste are identified early.
Beyond my operational role, I am also one of two Sustainability Coordinators at Harwell. In this capacity, I work with colleagues on site and across NRS to embed the organisation’s Sustainability Strategy into practical delivery.
Each NRS site faces different challenges and opportunities: some lead on biodiversity enhancement, others focus on net zero initiatives, but all contribute to socio-economic sustainability within their local communities.
What stands out is that sustainability in nuclear decommissioning is inherently collaborative. Progress depends on engineers, waste professionals, health physicists, environmental specialists and project teams working together to deliver safe, compliant and sustainable outcomes – often in the absence of historical design information or precedent.
Professional development continues to play an important role in my approach. Alongside CRWM, I have applied for Advanced Practitioner status with the Circular Economy Institute (CEI), reflecting a commitment to continual learning and the practical application of sustainability principles.
Sustainability in nuclear decommissioning is not abstract or theoretical. It is built into everyday decisions, from waste segregation and reuse to long-term land stewardship and community benefit.
For me, being a CIWM member provides both the professional framework and the confidence to apply resource and waste management principles where they matter most – on the ground, at the site level, and throughout the decommissioning lifecycle.
