When is garbage incinerated and when does it go to a landfill whole?

Question

I always thought garbage was incinerated and the ashes put in a landfill. Why does some garbage end up in a landfill without incineration? And, are the pollutants emitted from incineration worse than those that get into the ground from non-incinerated garbage?

Answer 1

It depends on the laws where you live but garbage here in Ontario hasn't been incinerated in years because of the air pollutants.  What waste companies should do is take ALL garbage and sort it.  We know not everyone cares to recycle, this is a way to go that way we know exactly what s going into landfill, what is being recycled and what is being composted as well as removing hazardous materials from going into landfills.

Answer 2

Great question, on that note I have been at a local home improvement chain where chemically treated lumber has a note or sticker saying specifically not to dispose of the wood by burning. I am assuming that the burning would release toxic chemicals. In the case of that wood being sent to a landfill it makes me wonder how the chemicals in the wood interact with the local ecosystem such as runoff, ground water etc.

In any case there is some waste that is biodegradeable and probably includes newspapers, organic food waste, yard clippings, tree branches etc that would normally go straight to the landfill versus being incinerated. Unless the city mulches the limbs etc as was the case here when hurricanes went through our area and there was a huge amount of tree stuff.