Replacing the greater evil: Can legalizing decentralized waste burning in improved devices reduce waste burning emissions for improved air quality?

Understanding Demographic Factors Influencing Open Burning Incidents in Kentucky

“…Advocating for a ban on open burning while promoting sustainable waste management through recycling, reuse, composting, and energy recovery is crucial [39]. However, a study suggested that legalizing waste burning and utilizing dry plastic waste for water heating could potentially decrease emissions from open burning and enhance air quality [40].…”

Plastic waste generation and emissions from the domestic open burning of plastic waste in Guatemala

“…[15][16][17][18][19] The chemical composition of PM 2.5 due to plastic waste incineration and smoldering res includes BC, OC, ammonium, chloride, nitrate, sulfate, antimony (Sb), and other trace elements. 16 Household air pollution (HAP) from the burning of plastic waste in stoves 20 and cooking res poses a harmful respiratory, cardiovascular, and overall human health hazard. [21][22][23][24][25][26] A recent study measured EFs for solely dry plastic waste burns and found that using dry plastic waste instead of biofuels can decrease open waste burning emissions, although these burns were conducted in improved devices as opposed to those in more traditional stoves.…”

“…[21][22][23][24][25][26] A recent study measured EFs for solely dry plastic waste burns and found that using dry plastic waste instead of biofuels can decrease open waste burning emissions, although these burns were conducted in improved devices as opposed to those in more traditional stoves. 20 The health threat from waste burning is still a particular concern for women and children, as they primarily occupy the domestic sphere. [27][28][29] In Guatemala, ambient PM 2.5 exposure is estimated to result in 4105 annual deaths, 2420 total years of healthy life lost due to disability (YLD), and 1.4 billion USD in health damages, including the cost of minimizing the likelihood of premature death, or mortality, and the cost of morbidity based on the country's average wage rates.…”

“…Household air pollution (HAP) from the burning of plastic waste in stoves 20 and cooking fires poses a harmful respiratory, cardiovascular, and overall human health hazard. 21–26 A recent study measured EFs for solely dry plastic waste burns and found that using dry plastic waste instead of biofuels can decrease open waste burning emissions, although these burns were conducted in improved devices as opposed to those in more traditional stoves.…”

Clearing the Air: Assessing Air Quality Impact from a Proposed Medical Waste Incinerator using Gaussian Dispersion Modeling

“…The proposed incineration method offers several bene ts, including the reduction of waste volume, mass, and hazardous content (Cai & Du, 2021;Tovkach et al, 2023). However, as with any technological intervention, the implementation of medical waste incinerators raises valid concerns about potential environmental impacts, particularly in terms of air quality degradation (Chaudhary et al, 2022;Forbid et al, 2011;Jouhara et al, 2017). Incineration processes emit various pollutants into the atmosphere, including nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and other harmful substances.…”