Marion Co. (which includes most of Salem) has a waste incineration plant in Brooks, Oregon. A number of organizations oppose waste incineration on a variety of grounds, particularly the toxics emitted. (See the excellent short video, The Story of Stuff, for an example.)
A discussion of waste incineration (vs. recycling) on the "Fostering Sustainable Behavior" listserv included this post concerning greenhouse gas emissions:
A discussion of waste incineration (vs. recycling) on the "Fostering Sustainable Behavior" listserv included this post concerning greenhouse gas emissions:
Look at the WARM model from the U.S. EPA. (pdf warning)
There is also a Canadian version produced with funding from Natural Resources Canada, and Environment Canada.
Both studies clearly shows that greenhouse gases from incineration are much higher than those produced from reuse, recycling, composting, etc.
GHG's are also a proxy for 'energy use' in most cases. In other words, the energy extracted from incinerating waste, is much, much less than the 'embedded energy' inherent in the item.
The studies are not simple to understand; if you need help in finding the relevant tables, contact me and I'll be glad to help you navigate the study(ies).
Norm Ruttan
iWasteNot Systems
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