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Radioactive Waste Vs Nuclear Waste

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’s not a physical difference between the two pollutants. The difference is how the two different wastes are treated when we clean them up and the effect they can have on the earth and its inhabitants. That’s why it is necessary that more eco-friendly ways are discovered to recycle or clean the electronic and radioactive waste to dispel them and, their harmful effects out of our ecosystems. In today's society we have lots of new technology that’s replacing the older versions, which makes approximately, 20 (TO DO) to 50 million metric tons of e-waste per year. ( cite) The US alone produces nearly 10 million tons, depending on the year, that could be half of the end amount for the entire year. The aspect that makes this such a widespread …show more content…

But what multiplies the deadly potency of radioactive waste, is the amount of waste that exists in the world today. As of today, there are 449 active nuclear reactors in the world. The world produces around 2,000 tons of nuclear waste annually. The only good part about nuclear waste is that it naturally breaks down over time, through a process called radioactive decay. Like electronic waste, radioactive waste is extremely dangerous to anyone who comes in contact with it. When a site becomes contaminated with radioactive material,that certain area can’t be inhabited safely by any living …show more content…

Radioactive waste is too dangerous to handle most of the time. Radioactive material has three different levels to it’s severity. There’s high level, medium level, and low level radioactive material. High and medium level is a radioactive byproduct from nuclear fission or nuclear technology. While low level can be a decayed version of high and medium level, it can also be a rubber glove that was used to handle the waste. The only you can safely recycle radioactive waste is to wait. When radioactive waste is first formed, and it’s at its peak for radioactiveness, its stored in great underground warehouses. Why? Because the entire building is concrete, so if somehow one of the barrels of radioactive waste tips and spills its contents out, it won’t contaminate the ground at all, compared to if it was spilled on the surface of the earth. Eventually, after the waste decays for a period of time the waste will eventually become safer to handle and whatever became contaminated could be

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