Why can’t we dump nuclear waste in the same place we mine nuclear fuel?
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Because nuclear waste is not the same as nuclear fuel. Once the stuff is mined, it first must go through a long process where it’s concentrated and all the unwanted parts are stripped out.
Next, a portion is consumed in a nuclear reaction. A nuclear reaction physically changes one element to another. (Think gold into lead.) In this case, the reaction changes a radioactive material to a different element that’s a really REALLY radioactive material that can kill you if you just happen to walk past it unshielded.
Also, nuclear waste is not just the spent fuel. Everything that came into contact with the substance is now some level of nuclear waste. All the water used in a reactor, the clothes of the workers, any brooms used to sweep up, tools used in maintenance, even the nuclear plant itself will eventually become nuclear waste and need to be stored indefinitely.
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