Over 30 years ago, Ukraine witnessed the world’s largest radiation accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Overcoming its consequences and transforming the Exclusion Zone into an environmentally safe territory remains a modern-day challenge. Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of various types and categories of radioactive waste (hereinafter – RAW), generated as a result of the Chornobyl disaster, were stored within the Exclusion Zone at radioactive waste disposal sites, temporary radioactive waste localization sites, at the "Shelter" object, as well as outside the Exclusion Zone.

In order to minimize the environmental hazards associated with radioactive contamination, a Resolution was adopted by the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 724/163 dated 01.07.1987. This Resolution mandated the establishment of a specialized industrial complex for the collection, decontamination, transportation, processing, and disposal of RAW from the territories contaminated as a result of the accident at the Chornobyl NPP (code-named "Vektor").

Today, approaches to ensuring the safety of radioactive waste management in Ukraine have been revised in accordance with the recommendations of the IAEA and other international organizations. These organizations have accumulated the expertise of countries with significant practical experience and advanced infrastructure for the safe management of radioactive waste. These new approaches are reflected in Ukraine's regulatory and legal framework.

On September 29, 1997, Ukraine signed the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management , which was subsequently ratified by the Law of Ukraine on April 20, 2000.

In accordance with the aforementioned Convention, Ukraine implements the Radioactive Waste Management Strategy (hereinafter – the Strategy), adopted in 2009 for a 50-year period. According to the Strategy, radioactive waste generated during the use of nuclear energy must be transported to the Exclusion Zone to the "Vektor" industrial complex for further long-term storage or disposal.

SSE "CERWM" is the legal successor to the enterprises that began recovery operations following the Chornobyl disaster. During this period, radioactive waste storage facilities were urgently established within the Exclusion Zone: radioactive waste disposal sites (RWDS "Pidlіsnyi", "Buriakivka", "ChNPP Stage III"). A large portion of RAW was placed in specially created trenches and mounds directly near the waste identification areas, which are categorized as temporary radioactive waste localization sites (TRWLS). The Enterprise ensures the safe operation of these facilities in accordance with granted licenses and permits.

The State Specialized Enterprise "Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management" was established by Order No. 1086 of the Ministry of Ukraine for Emergencies and Protection of the Population from the Consequences of the Chornobyl Catastrophe, dated December 9, 2010 , "On the Reforming of State Enterprises of the Exclusion Zone." The Enterprise is an operating organization that conducts activities related to site selection, design, construction, operation, and closure of radioactive waste disposal facilities. It ensures nuclear and radiation safety, as well as the physical protection of RAW disposal facilities throughout all stages of the facilities' life cycle. Pursuant to Order No. 37 of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM), dated April 4, 2014, "On Renaming," the State Specialized Enterprise "Centralized Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management" was renamed  the State Specialized Enterprise "Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management" (SSE "CERWM")..

SSE "CERWM" is subordinate to the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM), whose activities are directed and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine through the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources. By Order No. 151 of the SAUEZM, dated November 6, 2017, SSE "CERWM" was designated as the operating organization (operator) for all stages of the life cycle of the following radioactive waste disposal sites: "Buriakivka", "Pidlіsnyi", "ChNPP Stage III", as well as temporary RAW localization sites.