I respectfully disagree. Yes, most of the dangerous radioactive materials in nuclear waste are short lived, but we have no way to safely dispose of waste that possess the ability to harm life for tens of thousands of years. We cannot safely dispose of the garbage we make on a daily basis. I do realize this is my opinion and will not be slighted by a contrary view, or if proven wrong.
Rant ...
Living several miles from the largest active garbage pit in the county, I see first-hand how we are destroying our planet. Yes, for the most part, we simply bury our waste in a great big hole; out of site, out of mind. Forget about global warming. Forget about electric cars. Forget about green energy. What I see on a daily basis is the 'here and now' factual, proven, right in your face, undeniable, wasting and destruction of our planet, and much of it is fueled by our very own 'throw-away' mentality. This is something we can have a positive affect on, right now. By simply refilling our water bottles, reusing our bags at the grocery store, not having to have the latest and greatest gadgets. Small steps but if we all chip in ... we can make a here and now difference.
As a side note ... there was an article in one of the local papers confirming leachate from the garbage dump, is contaminating local drinking water. There was no follow-up, just a single newspaper article that appears to be impossible to find online.
I wish politics and science were not in $$$ bed together so, we the people, would know the real unscripted truth about our world.
This is an interesting thread with a lot of useful information, but I feel I have taken it much too far off course. My apologies.