Photo courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

In the U.S., we burn about 17% of garbage in combustors, usually called incinerators. Some communities with lots of people and few or no local landfills (particularly in the Northeast) rely on incinerators to handle most of their garbage. Burning can reduce the volume of garbage by 60% to 90%. But it produces ash and creates harmful gases and particles that must be filtered out of the air.

Many experts believe incineration can work safely, but it requires adherence to strict standards and regulations. A 1994 Supreme Court decision requires operators to test their ash and, if it's toxic, to handle it as a hazardous waste.

Citizens are often reluctant to accept an incinerator in their own community because of concerns about safety, cost, odors, and the conflict between recycling programs and incineration. Incineration, if not properly managed, has the potential to cause environmental damage. It produces gases that can contain dioxins, heavy metals, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides, some of which aren't covered by current air quality standards. It also produces ash.

Burning garbage can keep useful materials from being reused or recycled.