Home > Electronic Reading Room > Basic References > Glossary > Nuclear waste Nuclear waste A particular type of radioactive waste that is produced as part of the nuclear fuel cycle (i.e., those activities needed to produce nuclear fission, or splitting of the atom). These include extraction of uranium from ore, concentration of uranium, processing into nuclear fuel, and disposal of byproducts. Radioactive waste is a broader term that includes all waste that contains radioactivity. Residues from water treatment, contaminated equipment from oil drilling, and tailings from the processing of metals such as vanadium and copper also contain radioactivity but are not "nuclear waste" because they are produced outside of the nuclear fuel cycle. NRC generally regulates only those wastes produced in the nuclear fuel cycle (uranium mill tailings, depleted uranium, spent fuel rods, etc.). |
