Waste-to-energy in Australia: how it works, where new incinerators could go, and how they stack up

Martin Mecnarowski, Shutterstock.

Every year, Australia buries millions of tonnes of waste in landfills. But these sites are filling fast, recycling has its own limitations, and most waste export is banned. So councils and state governments are looking for alternatives.

Several large-scale incinerators have been proposed, to turn municipal solid waste into electricity. One is already up and running in Perth’s outer suburbs.