The Viability of Incineration as a Disposal Option: The Evolution of a Niche Technology, 1885–1995

Incineration has too often been perceived as a potential disposal panacea rather than one of several disposal options that meet varying criteria. Rather than trying to explain its advantages and disadvantages vis-à-vis other methods, we should first attempt to determine under what circumstances incineration best serves what disposal needs. The historical trend lines from 1885—when incinerators first appeared—to the present suggest that, in practice, incineration has been most notably a niche technology. To measure its success or failure in terms of aggregate numbers in the total pool of disposal options is to insufficiently understand its function over time, as part of a more complex system of solid waste disposal affected by several variables, including economic, environmental, and regulatory externalities.