Eli5 why do we not use reactor waste to make power?

Question

Reactor waste remains hot as waste so why do we not pile it in a massive dump and cirulate water through it to raise steam or at least preheat water for heat generation?

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Thanks everyone for an informative and interesting discussion.

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In: 337

Answer 1

Use reactor waste to boil water? You know that’s literally what a nuclear power plant does right? The reason it’s waste is because it stopped being hot enough to boil water.