Jim is ostensibly correct , as always, but remember, we are not burning any thing here as in a fission plant that must be removed when spent. (U-235).
The fusion process involves fast neuts. They must be slowed. In slowing them in a huge hydrogenous jacket of water, D2O or whatever we heat the water, which is ideally where the power is derived. This will only leave very short lived isotopes. The reactor vessel and other components will be exceedingly hot, but hopefully, we will not have to routinely replace large portions of this material. Therefore, this is not the classic, gotta' be removed fuel waste. The new fuel will be D2 or Tritium gas. I would imagine not enough is known about the dynamics of a fully functional, powerful, fusion eviornment to predict just what the repair or replacement rates would be or the fuel introduction rate, versus the He3 He4 exhaust rate. We gotta' get something to stay lit over unity to really study the working dynamics first.
A lot of the crap about fusion being clean came from the first and second generation fusion community while pressing for money.
Regardless, there will be less bulk, solid waste from fusion than from fission. What there is of it, will be shorter lived isotopes.
Richard Hull
Created on Thursday, March 22, 2001 4:55 PM EDT by Richard Hull