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Siting should consider distance from points of MSW generation, transfer, and disposal, as well as energy use.
Sizing of facility should accommodate other MSW management options.
Materials recovery and special waste separation should occur both before and after incineration.
The effect of materials recovery and composting on energy content must be considered.
Residual ash should be disposed of in properly designed landfills.
A successful materials recovery program can increase the energy content of waste because many recyclables (e.g., glass bottles, metal
cans, and yard waste) are non-combustible or have low fuel value. The energy value of waste does not begin declining until some of the
more difficult-to- market materials (e.g., cereal boxes, junk mail, and mixed paper or plastic) are included in materials recovery estimates.
Although materials recovery can increase energy content (per ton of waste), total energy production usually declines slightly due to the
reduction in the amount of material combusted. For facilities that were not sized for this possibility, energy contracts can be maintained by
expanding service areas or combusting supplementary fuel. By reducing the amount of waste to be combusted, materials recovery
programs also reduce the capital needed to build a new facility. Although it has not been proven, materials recovery possibly also lowers
operating costs of incineration facilities if the removal of non-combustibles reduces ash disposal costs. In addition, diverting glass and
aluminum, in some cases, reduces boiler maintenance costs. Melted glass can form slag on boiler walls, and aluminum can clog air
circulation holes in furnace chambers.
The integration of waste incineration and materials recovery can also give a community more flexibility when dealing with fluctuations in
secondary materials markets. Although combusting waste collected for recycling is often a public taboo, it can sometimes cost a
community more to process and market recyclables than to incinerate them with energy recovery. In these instances, incineration of
recyclables can help market prices rebound more quickly, by reducing the glut of unwanted materials.