Home FAQ Can nuclear waste be recycled?
All FAQ

27.

Can nuclear waste be recycled?

Yes, in part.

Reprocessing can separate uranium and plutonium from spent fuel and allow their reuse, for example as MOX fuel. However, it does not 'make all waste disappear': high-activity waste and fission products remain to be conditioned and disposed of. Furthermore, reprocessing and recycling have costs, industrial requirements, and safeguards implications. So recycling exists, but it is not a magic wand.