Abstract: In a system and method for disposal of nuclear waste, the waste is mixed with glass components, melted, drawn into fibers and formed into a cable, the diameter of the fibers and the arrangement of the fibers in the cable being such that the cable can be wound onto a support. The cable is then fed through an underground conduit to buffer storage and eventually to a storage space deep beneath the surface of the earth, where it is wound onto a support for extended storage. The cable is equipped with a monitoring system based on optical glass fibers and a leader with which it can be retrieved from the extended-storage space in the event that the integrity of the storage space is threatened or breached. The cable can also be withdrawn for harvesting of specific nuclides in the fiber or for reconstituting with additional nuclear waste material.