MSW: Incineration | conbio1-4650

Municipal Solid Waste: Incineration

Incineration of MSW can be a significant hazard for air quality in communities. Incineration releases many pollutants, notably dioxins and furans, which are known to be toxic and persistent. (9)

Municipal waste management has shown significant improvement over the past decade. Historically, 58 conical incinerators were operating in rural Newfoundland and Labrador communities. The province set a deadline to shut down all incinerators in the province by 2008, though some extensions were granted in cases where this goal was unattainable. (10)

At present, most of the province's incinerators have been decommissioned, with the exception of 7 communities along the island's south coast. (11)

One such exception is the town of Burgeo, which was granted an extension as the solid bedrock made the area unsuitable for a landfill. The plan is to develop a central landfill site that would receive municipal solid waste from Burgeo and other communities in the region. (11)

However, no timeline has been set for the development of this landfill. In the meantime, the Burgeo incinerator has become dangerously decrepit, and has been forced to shut down due to safety concerns. As such, the town has been granted a permit to burn its waste in an open pit until the new plan comes to fruition. (11)

You can read about more Newfoundland and Labrador incinerators at the following links (click them!):

Conical incinerator at Old Perlican (source)