Incineration is a waste treatment process involving combustion of organic substances contained in the waste.  Incineration is termed as a thermal treatment process.

Incineration of waste materials changes the waste into heat, flue gas and sterile ash.  From time immemorial, man has used incineration as a prime method for disposal of unwanted waste materials.  The major advantage of incineration is that it makes the waste management easier and efficient because waste volume can be reduced by more than 90% of the waste generated.

When one considers the advantages of incineration of hazardous wastes, one realizes that incineration burns most of the pollutants from the waste, preventing chances for soil, water or air contamination.  Hazardous wastes come from industrial operations and health related medical activities.  Bio-medical waste in particular used to be a main source of infection, disease and secondary products entering the market, creating more scope for disease spread.  Rules regarding management of hazardous waste and bio-medical waste have sought to plug all the loopholes caused by improper disposal methods.

Similarly if one looks at wastes from ship including waste oil and garbage, these are lethal to the sea, endangering marine life.  Thanks to strict regulations, these are now burnt on board the ships, saving our oceans.

Of course, the incinerator design along with its air pollution control equipment should be such as not to cause any unwanted emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Incineration has many key benefits:

·        It is more environment friendly than other disposal methods such as landfilling

·        Waste can be disposed of at source

·        Costly transport of waste to disposal sites avoided

·        Source of contamination or infection destroyed

·        Considerable volumetric reduction of waste

·        Stringent global emission standards can be met

·        Incinerators can work in fully auto mode with very little manual intervention

Incineration has come to stay, after many prolonged discussions of its pros and cons.  The Hindu religion believes that Lord Agni, who is regarded as the friend and protector of humanity, always needs to witness at all important ceremonies.  The use of fire in many Indian rituals is a testimony to this belief in Vedic mythology. 

Let us agree that the heat of the fire and the fire of the sun are helping us improve our life and health through both creation and destruction!

Imagine the world and the life of humans, animals and birds without sun and heat!!