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What Can Waste Incinerators Burn?

Waste incinerators are used to reduce the amount of garbage in landfills, destroy potentially hazardous materials, and, in some cases, produce energy to generate heat and electricity through a process called Energy from Waste (EfW).

  1. Organic Materials

    • Organic materials, such as wood, sawdust, wood chips, paper, cardboard, grass clippings, leaves and food scraps can all be incinerated, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website. Organic material incineration can be used in Energy from Waste programs.

    Plastics

    • Plastics and other petroleum-based products can also be incinerated, according to the EIA website. However, some environmental advocacy agencies argue that incineration of non-biodegradable waste is counterproductive because it releases pollutants into the air, according to the Citizens Waste Info website.

    Medical Waste and Hazardous Materials

    • Solid waste byproducts of manufacturing processes, and medical waste, such as hypodermic needles, soiled diapers, lab cultures, extracted organs and body parts are also commonly incinerated. Although the Environmental Protection Agency approves incineration as an effective means of dealing with many hazardous materials and medical wastes, incineration cannot destroy potentially dangerous heavy metals, according to the EPA website. As with petroleum-based product incineration, environmental advocacy agencies and consumer health organizations also question the safety of burning hazardous materials, according to the Environmental Health Action Guide website.

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