Why do some people oppose incinerators?
Incinerators need to have certain design features and need to be used correctly. Indiscriminate use of inadequately designed systems (by overloading, loading non-incinerable wastes, etc.) and pollution generated by these caused some sectors to label all incinerators as inefficient. However, technologies are available today which have made waste incinerators a clean and environmentally sound form of waste management, so that such opposition is now unfounded. All methods like recycling, composting, land-filling and incineration have similar environmental impacts. Comparison of impacts is difficult because alternative systems generate different pollutants having various toxicities, effects, reasons and modes and affect different populations and eco-systems. It is not possible, for example, to qualitatively determine whether recycling produces more or less pollutants or produces greater or fewer risks per ton of material processed than do incineration or land filling.
