Its the 4% that gets stored for thousands of years that worries...

Its the 4% that gets stored for thousands of years that worries me. Think back in time to Ancient Egypt, and everything that has happened since then. Can future humans responsibly hold our generations waste for thousands of years? Is it fair to ask them to do this?

1. Safe receipt and storage of fuel prior to reprocessing

When the used fuel assemblies arrive at the la Hague site, they are first removed from their transport packaging. This operation is carried out remotely, using automated equipment in rooms with concrete walls nearly four-feet thick.
After unloading, the fuel is kept in a storage pool for an average of five or seven years, during which time the fuel’s temperature and radioactivity naturally decreases.

2. Component separation and recovery of recyclable materials
After spending time in the storage pool, the metallic fuel assemblies containing the used fuel pellets are sheared into small pieces before being immersed in a nitric acid solution, which dissolves the nuclear material. A chemical process separates the recyclable materials from the non-recoverable waste (fission products). Through this process, 96% of the nuclear material (plutonium and uranium) is recoverable. The plutonium and uranium are then separated and purified. In the next step, the plutonium is remixed with depleted uranium to produce mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. Customers can then re-enrich the uranium as URE (Recycling Uranium) fuel.

3. Final waste conditioned safely and reliably (4%)
Only 4% of nuclear material from used fuel reprocessing is waste, plus the sheared metal pieces (shells and ends). The fission products are heated, then mixed with molten glass and cast in stainless steel containers, a safe and stable packaging for thousands of years. The waste metal pieces are compacted and placed in storage containers.

4. Temporary, safe and secure interim storage pending final storage
French waste is stored at onsite at la Hague in dedicated rooms pending its transfer to the deep geological storage facility being developed through the CIGEO project. Waste from foreign customers is returned to its country of origin as required by French law.