The Case for Waste to Energy

Abstract

There is a better way of handling MSW that is not or cannot be recycled: thermal conversion, also called waste to energy. These facilities feed waste into a combustion chamber with air and incinerate it. The heat released from combustion produces steam for use in a district heat network, or to generate electricity, or do both in combined heat and power systems. In addition to enabling the heat content of the MSW to be recovered, combustion reduces its final volume by more than 90 percent, thus decreasing the need for landfills.