A method for treating a cladding within which there is a sintered material composed wholly or partly of sintered calcium hydride, the method comprising a step during which the sintered material is contacted with a reaction mixture comprising steam, carbon dioxide, and a chemically inert gas, the contacting being carried out for a duration allowing the sintered calcium hydride to be converted into a calcium carbonate powder.The treatment method provided by the invention results in a chemically inert waste, a limitation on the volume of wastes obtained, while allowing the removal or even recovery of these wastes by appropriate processing streams.