If Uranium's half life is 4.5 billion years, why does it become waste

[Astronuc]

Waste is a subjective term. If I put my soda cans in the trash and it goes to a landfill, then it is pretty much waste even though it can be recycled.

Yes - but it is also a legal definition.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/glossary/high-level-radioactive-waste-hlw.html

http://www.nrc.gov/waste/high-level-waste.html

Then there is industrial waste, which could be organic (hydrocarbon) chemical waste or heavy metals. Some organic chemical and all heavy metals are generally classified as toxic waste. The goal is to isolate the waste from the environment and people, just as the nuclear industry and government have the goal to keep radionuclides isolated from the environment and people. On the other hand, not all non-radioactive industrial waste is not necessarily as restricted as 'nuclear waste'.

Much of spent fuel (~95-96%) can be used again (recycled/reprocessed), with the remain 4-5% calcined and vitrified into a mineral that should be placed in a geological stable respository.

 

[daveb]

Much of spent fuel (~95-96%) can be used again (recycled/reprocessed), with the remain 4-5% calcined and vitrified into a mineral that should be placed in a geological stable respository.

I imagine if we had the technology to make reprocessigne economically feasible so that each radioistope could be isolated, even that remainder would be usable as some calibration or reference standard.

 

[splitringtail]

Yes - but it is also a legal definition.

True, they are legal definitions of course, hazardous waste has to be regulated.

Speaking of industrial waste, Xylene, Toulene, and some variants of Mineral Spirits are aromatic hydrocarbons that can be purchased from any hardware store, usually for thinning paints. I have always wondered how many of the homeowners and other small time users dispose of such chemicals. It would not be surprise me if most simply poured them down the drain or dump it on the ground, rather than putting it in an appropriate container and taking it a hazardous material facility.

Edit: To be a little fair for some places, a nearby hazardous material place would probably be a very long drive.