The Pros And Cons Of Radioactive Waste

Radioactive waste is the material that nuclear fuel becomes after it's used, thus, creating radioactive waste. Most is Uranium, containing around 90%. Meaning it is still usable fuel. Used nuclear fuel is extremely hot and radioactive. It is usually handled by storing it under water with a dense material such as concrete or steel. The waste ranges from low to high-level, High-level wastes are cooled and shielded while the low-level waste is handled easily with minimum protection. It is unsure on what to do with it in the aftermath. The nuclear power industry has used the ocean as a dump site before. Facilities are built to control the waste but have a problem storing all of it away. Radioactive leftovers have piled up for decades and it is clear that it is a problem that has to be taken care of. Nuclear power plants can generate electricity simply by splitting uranium that produce heat. After a couple of years, uranium is considered used, or “waste” and is replaced by new fuel. However, if the waste is stored and recycled over time, it can be used to generate electricity. All of this can benefit everyone in the United-States in many ways. A major obstacle to nuclear waste recycling is that it's not cost-effective. Around 12% of the world's electricity is generated by
There are ideas burying it deep within Yucca Mountain but, it is not a permanent solution. There will have to be a decision made and action has to be taken. The government has already spent billions building a kind of reverse mine, a shaft into the side of the mountain. It is in stainless steel to bury the waste. To fully complete the repository would cost around $80 billion total, this is according to Bush administration estimate. Nuclear waste can be used many ways in the end. Countries around the world use it to their own benefit such as electricity through a process called