"Your fear of "long lived" radioactive waste is overblown. Radioactive decay is like oxidation. Really fast oxidation is called an explosion. Fast oxidation is called fire. Really slow oxidation is called rust. It all has to do with the RATE of oxidation.

Half life defines the RATE of radioactive decay. Really short half lifes (< a month) is akin to an explosion. Really long half lifes (> 1000 years) is akin to rust. Sure, actinides, transuranics, etc. with very long half lives are measurably radioactive for a long time, but the amount of energy emitted by that radiation is neglegible. Their chemical toxcicity is more of a problem than their radiotoxcicity and we have many, many years of experience dealing with chemical toxins with infinite half lives (ie, non-radioactive). "