Disposal of expired radioactive sources presents similar challenges to the disposal of other nuclear waste, although to a lesser degree. Spent low level sources will sometimes be sufficiently inactive that they are suitable for disposal via normal waste disposal methods — usually landfill. Other disposal methods are similar to those for higher-level radioactive waste, using various depths of borehole depending on the activity of the waste.
A notorious incident of neglect in disposing of a high level source was the Goiânia accident, which resulted in several fatalities. The Tammiku radioactive material theft involved the accidental theft of caesium-137 material in Tammiku, Estonia, in 1994.