Political conflict over waste-to-energy schemes : The case of incineration in New York

The incineration of municipal waste has emerged as one of the fastest-growing non-fossil-fuel sources of energy in developed economies. This alternative source of energy has been actively promoted by a range of interest groups, yet there remains a high level of political opposition to incineration. This paper illustrates the diversity and complexity of political opposition to waste incineration, using the example of New York. It is concluded that the development of waste incineration involves increasing socioeconomic polarization at different spatial scales and is better conceived as a response to the problems of municipal waste management than an integral component of a sustainable energy policy.