So, instead of nuclear waste we can package up and store away where it won't hurt anyone, we have plenty of coal and gas plants, whose waste goes into the atmosphere where it hurts everyone.
But we can't! There have been several issues with stored nuclear waste already, and we only had to do it for like what, 70 years? How can you project that to even just a couple hundred years and not expect total desaster? nuclear would be great if every single person involved were reliable, diligent engineers and scientists. But at the end of the day, the most important decisions always get made by greedy managers and CEOs, and clueless politicians.
I’ve never understood why just storing them in a big pool next to the power plant is a bad idea. The radiation is not a concern because the water filters it all out, it’s stable for long periods of time with very little maintenance, what’s the downside exactly?
As in literally dig a hole the size of an Olympic swimming pool, store literally all the nuclear waste that has ever been produced (maybe you’ll need a few pools, I haven’t checked), and spend a few million a year maintaining it for the next century or so.
Good thing nuclear doesn't produce hazardous waste we need to store safely for thousands of years. That would be a pretty horrible, long term risk.
But OTOH who gives a fsck about generations to come, storing the waste safely while I'm still alive should be doable.