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The best-managed industrial waste in history

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Expanded use of nuclear energy will protect the environment even without fresh options for waste disposal.

By

  1. Haruko Wainwright

    1. Haruko Wainwright studies environmental science for nuclear applications at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Almost since the first nuclear power plant started generating electricity in the 1950s, critics have pointed out the difficulty of safely disposing of highly radioactive spent fuel. In those days, radiation was among the few carcinogens that were recognized and could be measured easily. Cold-war anxieties amplified public fear of nuclear technologies and radiation. As a result, spent fuel — often referred to as nuclear waste — came to be treated as uniquely hazardous, requiring exceptionally stringent isolation over long timescales.

Nature 656, S8 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02508-2

This article is part of Nature Outlook: Nuclear power, a supplement produced with financial support from Oklo Inc.. Nature maintains full independence in all editorial decisions related to the content. About this content.

References

  1. Kilgo, M. K., Anctil, A., Kennedy, M. S. & Powell, B. A. Chem. Eng. J. 431, 133825 (2022).

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  2. Wainwright, H. M. et al. Nature Sustain. 8, 1391–1399 (2025).

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  4. Wainwright, H. M. et al. Preprint at Earth ArXiv https://doi.org/10.31223/X5SN1G (2026).

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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  • Energy
  • Environmental sciences
  • Nuclear physics

  • Using nuclear waste to power space missions

    Outlook

  • Can nuclear reactors hit the road?

    Outlook

  • Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise

    Outlook

  • Can nuclear reactors hit the road?

    Outlook

  • Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise

    Outlook

  • Are pro-nuclear politics a threat to public safety?

    Outlook

  • Using nuclear waste to power space missions

    Outlook

  • Can nuclear reactors hit the road?

    Outlook

  • Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise

    Outlook