Captain Caveman
Platinum Member
Nuclear waste has multiple uses, including recycling and disposal:
The United States does not currently recycle spent nuclear fuel, but some advanced reactor designs could consume or run on it in the future.
- Recycling
Most of the material in used nuclear fuel can be recycled, including uranium and plutonium. These elements can be mixed with fresh uranium to create new fuel rods. Recycling reduces the volume of high-level waste and the radiological footprint of waste.
- Disposal
Nuclear waste can be disposed of in a variety of ways, including:
- Near-surface disposal: Suitable for short-lived waste and low-level waste.
- Deep geological disposal: Suitable for long-lived waste and high-level waste.
- Storage in dry casks: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licenses dry cask storage facilities for up to 40 years.
- Storage in spent fuel pools: Fuel is typically cooled in the pool for at least five years before transfer to a cask.

Visualizing All the Nuclear Waste in the World
Despite concerns about nuclear waste, high-level radioactive waste constitutes less than 0.25% of all radioactive waste ever generated.

Yup, waste is very little. I did read or watch a video (probably Sabrina? on YouTube) that the stats from the first nuclear reactor ever commissioned, all the waste would only cover a football field to 6 foot deep. And that's from all the world's reactors.