The History of Incinerators

An incinerator is a form of waste-to-energy disposal for trash. The first incinerators in the United States were built in the 1880s and 1890s. In New York, the first two incinerators generated steam in Manhattan. By the 1960s there were 17,000 small incinerators and 22 large ones just in New York City.

Benefits

• As early as the 1880s, planners in New York first heard of waste-to-energy incineration from the ones that already existed in Europe. The allure of reducing trash while generating energy caused many to promote incinerators. By the 1960s in New York, incineration burned one-third of the city's trash.

Controversy

• During the 1970s, reports showed that burning trash contributed to many health problems and threatened public safety. Still, with the crisis of landfills filling up, incinerators remained viable.

Pollution

• Burning trash has many environmental and health disadvantages. When organic material containing chlorine is burned, dioxins can form. Dioxins are pollutants that have been linked to cancer and birth defects. Heavy smoke and soot along with odors are also common around incinerators. Also, according to GothamGazette.com, incinerators can produce contaminants like mercury, lead and nitrogen oxides.

Emission Control

• As of 2010, strict emission control, regulations, and close observation from the Environmental Protection Agency have once again made incineration viable. The high temperatures of incinerators are ideal for destroying pathogens and biomedical waste. In 2006, according to the EPA, an estimated 13 percent of municipal solid waste was handled by waste-to-energy incinerators.