Waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerators are often sold as a panacea to our waste problem, rebranded as “renewable” energy sources. This alluring label attracts considerable private investment and generous public subsidies. However, a closer look reveals a darker reality, indicating that the “renewable” claim might be a carefully constructed illusion.
The central concept behind WTE is that it incinerates municipal solid waste (MSW) as a means of producing electricity. Whilst the resultant energy output has been demonstrated, it does so at an incredible environmental and human health cost.
First, waste combustion releases hazardous chemicals like heavy metals, dioxins, and furans into the environment. These toxins harm human health, causing respiratory issues, heart problems, and cancer.
Moreover, WTE incinerators support wasteful and unsustainable linear economies. This encourages disposable goods production, undermining waste reduction, reuse, and recycling efforts, and hindering circular economy progress.
The label “renewable” for WTE is enormously misleading. Sources of energy truly considered renewable—like solar, wind, and geothermal—harness natural forces without depletion of finite resources or production of harmful by-products. WTE, on the other hand, relies on a finite resource—our waste—and produces harmful pollutants.
This can sometimes divert valuable resources and attention from proven waste management strategies, which are genuinely sustainable. Instead, heavy investment in waste prevention, composting, and strong recycling programs—strategies that would decrease the volume going into incineration while at the same time offering useful resources and new green jobs—should be undertaken.
In the final analysis, the label “renewable” is a dangerous misnomer for Waste-to-Energy. It diverts attention away from the glaring environmental and health risks of incineration and diverts focus to truly sustainable waste management solutions. We should critically look at claims made by the WTE industry and prioritize those that foster the circular economy with protection for public health.
Reference- Net Zero Academy, WHO website, National Geographic, Medium, BBC, ScienceDirect