At least 31 incinerators have closed since due to issues such as insufficient revenue or inability to afford required upgrades. Operations and maintenance costs typically increase as plants age and their performance decreases. These large capital expenditures represent risks for host communities, which often provide public financing through bonds or tax increases.
Such measures are risky because the waste service and energy contracts that generate revenue are increasingly shorter term and vulnerable to fluctuating market and regulatory conditions. As plants age, their environmental performance may also degrade over time, posing increasing risks to the environment and public health. Most U. The composition of municipal solid waste has changed over the past 50 years. Synthetic materials such as plastics have increased, while biogenic, compostable materials such as paper and yard trimmings have decreased.
Plastics are particularly problematic for waste handling because they are petroleum-based, nonbiogenic materials. They are difficult to decompose and release harmful pollutants such as dioxins and heavy metals when they are incinerated. Today, thanks to the evolution of waste handling options, a majority of the materials in municipal solid waste can be composted or recycled.
This reduces impacts on the environment, including air, soil and water contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. As cities like New York and San Francisco adopt zero-waste policies that create incentives for diverting waste from landfills or incinerators, burning trash will increasingly become obsolete.
Many U. Waste reduction and diversion will play a critical part in meeting these targets. The public is increasingly demanding more upstream solutions in the form of extended producer responsibility bills, plastic bans and less-toxic product redesign. There is also a growing movement for less-consumptive lifestyles that favors zero-waste goals.
Incinerators release many air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, particulate matter, lead, mercury, dioxins and furans. These substances are known to have serious public health effects , from increased cancer risk to respiratory illness, cardiac disease and reproductive, developmental and neurological problems.
According to recent figures from the waste industry, incinerator plants emit more sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated than power plants burning natural gas. Research on direct health impacts of waste incineration in the United States is limited, but a handful of studies from Asia and Europe, where waste incinerators are prevalent, offer some insights.
Typical home fires are small and inefficient. They produce a lot of smoke, as well as a variety of toxic substances—even burning seemingly harmless materials like paper. The law. For most Minnesotans, it is against the law to burn or bury household garbage—it's been illegal since the s. So, far 31 counties have adopted a no-burn resolution. Use local garbage and recycling services. Find a trash hauler or local drop off sites. Separate your metal, glass, plastic, and paper, and more for the programs in your area.
Earlier this year Wheelabrator sued Baltimore County, alleging that in the county fell short of its contractually obligated trash transfer by nearly 60, metric tons 66, tons. Across the Atlantic, under the Renewable Energy Directive , the European Union grants the renewables label to energy produced by burning waste.
Ingrid Behrsin, a geographer at the University of California, Davis, urges caution when thinking about burning waste as a renewable energy source. When reporting their efforts to meet renewable energy targets, EU member states have to estimate what fraction of energy produced by incinerators actually stems from biogenic materials like food waste and paper, and what fraction comes from other sources such as plastic.
The public is increasingly demanding more upstream solutions in the form of extended producer responsibility bills, plastic bans and less-toxic product redesign.
There is also a growing movement for less-consumptive lifestyles that favors zero-waste goals. Ensia shares solutions-focused stories free of charge through our online magazine and partner media. That means audiences around the world have ready access to stories that can — and do — help them shape a better future. If you value our work, please show your support today.
Sign up now for our bi-weekly newsletter and you'll get the latest stories from Ensia delivered straight to your inbox. Writer Andrew Urevig aurevig Ensia assistant editor and freelance science writer.
Get Article. That number demands a response — whether the solution is to double down on incineration, shift toward other waste-to-energy technologies, boost recycling or push for less waste in the first place. Show your support for nonprofit journalism!
Yes, I'll support Ensia! Add Your Comments Post a Comment. You care about environmental issues. So do we! Sign Up Now.
0コメント