Israel is looking for new sites to bury radioactive waste from its nuclear reactor in the Negev desert, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

The newspaper said on Monday that Israeli authorities are examining sites in the desert in southern Israel to dispose of the material, including contaminated water and clothing from the site, which reportedly produces the highly radioactive element plutonium.

With no known alternatives for disposing of nuclear waste, it has to be buried in barrels deep underground. However, as it does not decay for tens of thousands of years, there are concerns over the potential environmental impact of the disposed waste.

Haaretz quoted a report from the Negev Nuclear Research Center that said they had examined the potential of environmental shocks, like earthquakes, at proposed disposal sites.