As regards waste management, the problem centres on the disposal of high level radioactive waste and spent fuel, when considered as waste. The solution to this problem most often considered is geological disposal, deep underground, using a system of multiple engineered and natural barriers. It is the collective opinion of specialists that geological disposal can be realized and its safety assessed by methods that are already available. Despite this, no disposal facility for high level waste has yet been licensed for operation anywhere. Since the first significant quantities of fuel were removed from civil reactors in the second half of the 1970s, countries with nuclear power programmes should be, by now, actively embarking on repository siting activities.
Some countries are in fact doing so.
However, in most countries, the development of repository siting programmes is facing difficulties. Lack of public acceptance of the disposal concept, resulting from fears about safety, lack of confidence in the technology, and lack of knowledge about the options, continues to be the major hurdle in most countries. This lack of acceptance has manifested itself in the so-called 'not in my backyard' syndrome. Other hurdles also hinder progress. Some countries cite the cost of implementation of such programmes as a curtailing factor.