What can be done with radioactive waste? This extremely difficult question has not really been answered anywhere in the world; yet it must be answered. Like death and taxes, radioactive waste is with us—it cannot be wished away. This special, five‐article issue ofPHYSICS TODAYreviews the technical problems and risks, outlines the reasons why the basic question posed above has not been answered and suggests some possible new approaches that could enable us to make progress.