From waste-to-energy to waste-to-resources: The new role of thermal treatments of solid waste in the Recycling Society

Modern technologies of thermal conversion, heat recovery and air pollution control make state-of-the-art WtE a fundamental and integrated part of sustainable waste management in the Recycling Society, which uses ‘‘waste . . . as a resource’’. The main goal of modern WtE units has shifted from ‘‘waste treatment’’ to ‘‘resource conservation and recovery’’. Today they could be better described as Waste-to-Resources (WtR) units, since they are able to provide a safe recovery of electric and thermal energy, an efficient recycling of inorganic materials, and a crucial saving of space for landfilling, in full compliance with the protection of human health and the environment