Why reprocessing is wrong
Making bombs Reprocessing produces Highly Enriched Uranium and Plutonium which are the raw ingredients of nuclear weapons.
Dangerous The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate have closed down the reprocessing plants at Dounreay as sub-standard. The government wants them open again.
Pollution Reprocessing will result in large quantities of nuclear material being discharged down a pipeline into the Pentland Firth and into the atmosphere.
Waste Reprocessing will create large volumes of nuclear waste which then have to be stored somewhere.
Expensive The government said that they won’t take more foreign waste because the work is not economically viable. It will cost millions to reprocess used fuel they have on site.
Not necessary There is an alternative - the used fuel can be stored above ground. The UKAEA itself acknowledged in a 1995 report that long-term dry storage was an option.