With landfill being the most common and the oldest method for waste disposal management, incineration is the second largest method for waste disposal management in most of the countries around the world.
Incineration that involves combustion of organic substances and wastes involves waste disposal that includes households, hazardous and even medical wastes.
Because of combustion, incineration is also called 'thermal treatment'.
Through incineration waste disposal management, the wastes get converted into bottom ash, flue gas, particulates and heat which again can be utilized to generate electric power.
Thus in modern days, incinerators prevent energy from being wasted.
Incineration has certain benefits.
Waste disposal management through incineration is beneficial when it comes to treating wastes like clinical and hazardous ones.
Here, the harmful toxins and pathogens get burnt in high temperature and get completely destroyed.
Such method of waste disposal management is particularly popular in countries facing scarcity of lands.
However, it must also be remembered that combustion of wastes can have negative effects on health.
Health risk due to environmental pollution gets augmented and eventually is becoming a major concern and discourse all over.
Ash, flue gas and other emissions of incineration can have perilous effects on mankind and nature.
Through incineration, the waste gets reduced and converted to ash which contains some of the most poisonous substances such as dioxins and heavy metals.
It is very difficult to dispose these toxins off.
When the waste is burnt, enormous toxins are released which mingle with the atmosphere.
The combination of all these poisonous emissions can be fatal.
Thus nature and her resources get adversely affected and become vulnerable to unending risks.
The cost that we pay for incineration is very high, considering the impact on environment and mankind.
Health experts are raising alarms and asking for alternate ways to treat wastes which would not affect us so dangerously!