"Nothing creates a not-in-my-backyard mob quicker than the whiff of an incinerator coming to town, even though today's incinerators have come a long way since the 1940s, when they were the darlings of municipalities.
The older operations were essentially combustion furnaces that mass-burned everything and in the process spewed toxic emissions into our airways and eventually water and soil.
The new and improved incinerators offer high-efficiency scrubbers designed to absorb those emissions. They are also using waste-to-energy technology (WtE) that promises to deliver more than just ash.
Waste-to-energy is being touted as a green technology that can produce energy, help with global warming, reduce waste and generate revenue.
But a growing body of evidence suggests the hidden costs of incinerators outweigh the benefits."
Shelagh McNally reports for Canwest News Service October 16, 2009.
"Controversy Heats up as Cities Look To Incinerators"
Source: Canwest, 10/20/2009