Nuclear Wastes and the Levels

Nuclear power stations release huge amounts of energy when the nuclei of two radioactive elemts such as those from uranium and plutonium, split apart. The process is called nuclear fission and starts when neutrons are fired towards the fuel causing some of the large unstable nuclei to split into small nuclei which is roughly of equal sixes. Each split nucleus also releases two or three more neutrons and a bountiful of energy.

Nuclear reactions release more energy than those of chemical reactions e.g combustion. You can calculate just how much energy is released using the famous e=mc^2 discovered by Albert Einstein. 

The following picture is just a nutshell worth of information as to what occurs in a nuclear power plant:

http://www.revisescience.co.uk/2011/schools/albany/pp66.asp

The waste from nuclear power stations are incredibly hard to dispose of and this process has to be done very carefully. Nuclear power stations do not release any gas meaning we will stop the production of pollutants that contribute to acid rain and global warming. However, these power stations release radioactive waste.

Most waste from power stations or by medical use is considered 'low level' (slightly radioactive) like paper and gloves. This waste can be disposed of by burying it in secure landfill sites.

Intermediate level waste is usually quite radioactive and lots of them will stay that way for tens of thousands of years. Examples of intermediate level waste are metal cases of used fuel rods and some waste from hospitals. These tend to be put into concrete blocks then into steel canisters for storage thus being buried underground though it is not easy to find places where to store them. The site has to be geologically appropriate because big movements could break the canisters and the radioactive material could be released. This would increase the dosage levels for people near-by on ground and underground. Those who live nearby often rebuke having canisters near-by for fear of being harmed. Hence, most intermediate to high level waste is kept at nuclear power stations where they are moderated by those who work there. 

High level waste is so radioactive that they generate a great deal of heat. These forms of waste are stored in glass and steel, then cooled for about fifty years before it's moved to more permanent storage. The uses of a lot of time and effort by workers. 

Remember high level waste decays to form intermediate level waste and so on... It seems the process of very costly.