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Radioactive waste management is a critical aspect for ensuring the safe disposal and containment of radioactive materials generated mainly from past power applications and plant decommissioning but also from various industrial, medical, and research activities. In Italy, the former are under the responsibility of SOGIN, while ENEA is in charge for the management of the latter. In this context, the evolution of waste acceptance criteria (WACs) has been progressed adapting to scientific advancements, regulatory changes, and societal concerns. This work examines the development of waste acceptance criteria in Italy and highlights key milestones in the country approach to radioactive waste management. Nuclear power in Italy has been characterized by recurrent stop-and-go operations throughout the last 65 years [1]. Almost all the radioactive waste (RW) produced by nuclear plants, the last active until the nineties, is kept in the locations of origin or sent abroad for reprocessing and conditioning. Furthermore, non-electro-nuclear RW spread all over Italy generated by medical, R&D activities, and industrial purposes are managed by ENEA that supervises the Integrated Service (IS) for the management of RW generated from no power applications which include low- and medium-level medical radioactive sources and waste as well as high-activity sealed radioactive sources. The IS is by law responsible for radioactive waste collection, transport, characterization, storage, treatment, and conditioning. In January 2023 Isin, the Italian national inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection, has published the final version of the technical guide 33 (TG 33) [2] for the radioactive waste management in Italy. The evolution over the time of requirements established for the acceptance of conditioned waste for the national repository [2], the site criteria [3], and the localization of the potentially suitable areas in the Italian territory are the landmark of the Italian approach to the management of RW before the actual construction of the national repository. Compared to the past, when the first technical guide (TG26) was emitted, the RW categories now are five. Differently the previous TG26 counted only three categories. Even the requirements and the standards of wasteforms for each category has been updated. New WACs has been also established, e.g., the depth of penetration of water under pressure test (UNI EN 12390-8:2019) once not expected in TG26 now is contemplated in TG33 for heterogenous LLW and for ILW. [1] M.R. Di Nucci, A. Prontera, “Nuclear Waste Governance in Italy: Between Participation Rhetoric and Regionalism”, The Future of Radioactive Waste Governance. pp 51–83 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-40496-3_3 [2] Guida Tecnica ISIN N.33, “Criteri di sicurezza nucleare e radioprotezione per la gestione dei rifiuti radioattivi”. Gennaio 2023 [3] Guida Tecnica n. 29 ISPRA, “Criteri per la localizzazione di un impianto di smaltimento di rifiuti radioattivi di bassa e media attività” 2014