No one knows what to do with waste from a nuclear reactor. Nuclear power stations have to deal with materials that cannot be used again. The problem is that nuclear waste can remain radioactive for thousands of years.
Used fuel rods take years to cool down.
When fuel rods cannot be used any longer, they are cooled in special ponds in the nuclear power station to allow their heat and radioactivity to decrease. It can take up to 50 years for them to cool down! After this time, they are chopped up and dissolved in acid so that they can be disposed of more safely.
Dangerous nuclear waste can be stored in strong metal containers.
Some nuclear waste can be turned into a dry powder that is mixed with glass and poured into steel tubes. However, very few people want to live near a nuclear waste store.
Nuclear waste can be buried underground.
One option is to bury sealed nuclear waste underground. However, we do not know how this may affect the nearby land, crops and rivers. The US is planning to use the Nevada desert as a nuclear dumping ground but people living nearby are very worried.
