What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste?
📰 MIT Technology Review
New nuclear reactor designs may introduce changes to nuclear waste management strategies
Action Steps
- Understand current nuclear waste management methods
- Learn about new nuclear reactor designs and their potential impact on waste production
- Analyze the differences between low-level and high-level nuclear waste
- Consider the challenges and opportunities for waste management in the context of emerging reactor technologies
Who Needs to Know This
Nuclear engineers, environmental scientists, and policymakers can benefit from understanding the implications of new reactor designs on waste management, as it affects the safety and sustainability of nuclear energy production
Key Insight
💡 New nuclear reactor designs could require adjustments to existing waste management systems, affecting the safety and sustainability of nuclear energy production
Share This
💡 New nuclear reactors may change how we manage nuclear waste #nuclearenergy #wastemanagement
Key Takeaways
New nuclear reactor designs may introduce changes to nuclear waste management strategies
Full Article
Published Time: 2026-03-18T05:00:00-04:00
# What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste? | MIT Technology Review
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# What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste?
New designs mean new strategies for managing spent fuel.
By
* [Casey Crownhart archive page](https://www.technologyreview.com/author/casey-crownhart/)
March 18, 2026
Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Getty Images
MIT Technology Review Explains _: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next._[_You can read more from the series here_](https://www.technologyreview.com/tag/tech-review-explains)_._
The way the world currently deals with nuclear waste is as creative as it is varied: Drown it in water pools, encase it in steel, bury it hundreds of meters underground.
These methods are how the nuclear industry safely manages the 10,000 metric tons of spent fuel waste that reactors produce as they churn out 10% of the world’s electricity every year. But as new nuclear designs emerge, they could introduce new wrinkles for nuclear waste management.
Most operating reactors at nuclear power plants today follow a similar basic blueprint: They’re fueled with low-enriched uranium and cooled with water, and they’re mostly gigantic, sited at central power plants. But a large menu of new reactor designs that could come online in the next few years will likely require tweaks to ensure that existing systems can handle their waste.
“There’s no one answer about whether this panoply of new reactors and fuel types are going to make waste management any easier,” says Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
### **A nuclear disposal playbook**
Nuclear waste can be roughly split into two categories: low-level waste, like contaminated protection equipment from hospitals and research centers, and high-level waste, which requires more careful handling.
The vast majority by volume is low-level waste. This material can be stored onsite and often, once its radioactivity has decayed enough, largely handled like regular trash (with some additional precautions). High-level waste, on the other hand, is much more radioactive and often quit
# What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste? | MIT Technology Review
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[Climate change and energy](https://www.technologyreview.com/topic/climate-change/)
# What do new nuclear reactors mean for waste?
New designs mean new strategies for managing spent fuel.
By
* [Casey Crownhart archive page](https://www.technologyreview.com/author/casey-crownhart/)
March 18, 2026
Stephanie Arnett/MIT Technology Review | Getty Images
MIT Technology Review Explains _: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next._[_You can read more from the series here_](https://www.technologyreview.com/tag/tech-review-explains)_._
The way the world currently deals with nuclear waste is as creative as it is varied: Drown it in water pools, encase it in steel, bury it hundreds of meters underground.
These methods are how the nuclear industry safely manages the 10,000 metric tons of spent fuel waste that reactors produce as they churn out 10% of the world’s electricity every year. But as new nuclear designs emerge, they could introduce new wrinkles for nuclear waste management.
Most operating reactors at nuclear power plants today follow a similar basic blueprint: They’re fueled with low-enriched uranium and cooled with water, and they’re mostly gigantic, sited at central power plants. But a large menu of new reactor designs that could come online in the next few years will likely require tweaks to ensure that existing systems can handle their waste.
“There’s no one answer about whether this panoply of new reactors and fuel types are going to make waste management any easier,” says Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
### **A nuclear disposal playbook**
Nuclear waste can be roughly split into two categories: low-level waste, like contaminated protection equipment from hospitals and research centers, and high-level waste, which requires more careful handling.
The vast majority by volume is low-level waste. This material can be stored onsite and often, once its radioactivity has decayed enough, largely handled like regular trash (with some additional precautions). High-level waste, on the other hand, is much more radioactive and often quit
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