Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology - GAIA

— which between them comprise 70 percent of the large-scale incinerator market — had been
colluding, in violation of antitrust laws. The FTC recommended that these companies be
excluded from government contracts because of their violations. 96
In the Philippines, corruption in waste projects is seen as endemic, with officials allegedly
receiving up to 40 percent of the value of waste contracts as kickbacks. Since the amount of the
contract is basedupon the quantity of waste to be burned, this undermines waste prevention
and recycling efforts. 97 And in Germany, corruption involving a single incinerator in Cologne is
alleged to have diverted more than US$10 million to individuals and a political party. 98 As with
all corruption issues, hard evidence in most cases is difficult to come by, yet the opportunities
for collusion between non-transparent governments and firms standing to make a large profit
are obvious.
EMPLOYMENT
Incineration, by its nature, is a capital-intensive, rather than labor-intensive, approach to
the waste problem. Municipal waste incinerators require an investment of several hundred
million dollars (US) and yet generate only a few dozen jobs, primarily for engineers who are in
much demand elsewhere. Experience has demonstrated the folly of this approach in Northern
countries; in the Southern nations, where capital is harder to come by and labor cheaper, the
situation is even more extreme. In contrast, the alternatives, particularly in the case of health
care waste and municipal waste, are less capital-intensive and generate more jobs. In the United
States, it has been shown that a comprehensive composting, reuse and recycling program
generates ten times as many jobs per ton of municipal waste as do incinerators. 99 In countries
with cheaper labor, this ratio should be even greater.
Job Creation: Reuse & Recycling Versus Disposal in the United States 100
Product Reuse
Type of Operation
Computer Reuse 296
Textile Reclamation 85
Misc. Durables Reuse 62
Wooden Pallet Repair 28
Recycling-Based Manufacturers 25
Paper Mills 18
Glass Product Manufacturers 26
Plastic Product Manufacturers 93
101
Conventional MRFs 10
Composting 4
Incineration 1
Landfilling 1
30 Waste Incineration: A Dying Technology
Jobs Per 10,000
Tons per Year
Incinerators can also displace people from employment. In many Southern countries,
entire populations make a living as resource recoverers, 102 pulling useful and salable items from
household and commercial waste. Called scavengers, ragpickers, waste pickers, catadores or
pepenadores in different societies, they are often found sifting through garbage dumps. Others
collect discarded items house-to-house. Despite being held in low esteem in most societies, they