What is the Problem with the Disposal of Nuclear Waste?
The main goal in disposing nuclear waste is to protect people and the environment. The majority of nuclear waste can be classified as low-level radioactive meaning it has low levels of radioactivity per volume or mass, i.e. protective suits that may be lightly contaminated. As the radioactive nature of the waste decreases over time, if there was a place to store the waste until its components have decomposed, this would be an easy problem to solve. The issue is that the radioactive half-life of the materials can mean huge periods of time up to hundreds of thousands of years. Current Methods of Disposal Most nuclear waste is still stored on the property of the nuclear plant that created it. Nuclear fuel is stored at the nuclear power plants where it is created in steel-lined concrete pools, water-filled basins, or huge airtight steel or concrete and steel containers with the ultimate goal of it being recycled by the government at some point in time. Other options have been discussed: su
