With growing interest in nuclear power, handling waste should be part of the deal. In the US alone, nuclear reactors produce about 2,000 metric tons of high-level waste each year, and there’s nowhere to put it.

Though newly popular, the nuclear program is not new—hosting more reactors than any other country, yet with no long-term solution for nuclear waste. Used fuel is stored on-site at operating and shut-down reactors, but these methods are not designed to be permanent.

The leading strategy globally involves deep geological repositories, where radioactive material is put in holes hundreds of meters underground. Finland is the furthest along, while France has a reprocessing program that creates mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, but still needs a repository for leftovers.

Technically, the US also has a destination: Yucca Mountain in Nevada, designated by Congress in 1987. However, progress has stalled due to political opposition. With new interest and upcoming types of nuclear waste, it’s time for nuclear companies to push for geological storage facilities.

The process is long but necessary—Finland started planning in the 1980s and selected its site in the early 2000s, nearly ready to start accepting waste. For countries without a permanent solution, now is the time to start.