During the extraction of nuclear raw materials, rare earths and other elements from ores containing uranium and thorium, various types of radioactive waste and some recovery tailings are generated. Mining and ore processing residues, i.e. waste and tailings, present a variety of problems related to waste management. Their bulky structure prevents their disposal underground, and their long radioactive half-life causes various problems with regard to their long-term storage. As a matter of fact, the secondary presence of nuclear raw materials together with other minerals requires compliance with hazardous waste procedures in the storage of waste containing nuclear raw materials after the recovery of these main minerals. It may be possible in the future to recover these nuclear raw materials from stockpiles of stored mine waste. The prospect of imbalances in the global uranium supply and demand increases the importance of secondary sources contributing to the global uranium supply. The increasing importance of secondary sources of nuclear raw materials suggests that more attention should be paid to the recovery of these resources together with primary minerals than in the past. In world literature, there is no review article that describes and discusses the waste management of nuclear raw materials in mining and mineral processing together with the opportunities and obstacles for their recovery. Considering this deficiency in the literature, in this study, the properties of waste and tailings resulting from mining and ore preparation activities of nuclear raw materials are explained, the difficulties encountered are mentioned, and solution suggestions are presented by making use of the literature on the recovery of tailings and waste management.