As long as a storage facility is not sealed, the waste materials contained in it remain the property of the user (nuclear power plant operator and federal government). These parties are legally obliged to dispose of radioactive waste safely at their own expense. To this end, in 1972, Swiss nuclear power plant operators and the federal government established the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra), entrusting it with the task of the safe disposal of radioactive waste.

After a site has been sealed or upon expiry of the additional observation period, the Federal Council must declare that the site is no longer subject to the provisions of Swiss nuclear energy legislation. Only at this point is full responsibility transferred to the federal government. In the event of the retrieval of stored waste materials (e.g. spent fuel elements), funding becomes the responsibility of the economic beneficiary.