Remember, the longer the half life, the less dangerous the waste as it dumps its energy more slowly. Consider technetium-99, for instance (from Wiki): "The wea

Remember, the longer the half life, the less dangerous the waste as it dumps its energy more slowly. Consider technetium-99, for instance (from Wiki): "The weak beta emission is stopped by the walls of laboratory glassware. Soft X-rays are emitted when the beta particles are stopped, but as long as the body is kept more than 30 cm away these should pose no problem. The primary hazard when working with technetium is inhalation of dust; such radioactive contamination in the lungs can pose a significant cancer risk."[1] Laboratory glassware, safe distance 30cm. Hardly a "pretty deep hole"! [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technetium-99 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technetium-99