What is the difference between incineration with energy recovery and landfill disposal regarding waste management?

• A. Incineration increases waste volume and has no emissions.
• B. Incineration reduces waste volume and can generate energy; landfills store waste and risk methane emissions and leachate, with long-term monitoring.
• C. Landfills run cleaner than incineration.
• D. Both options are equal in environmental impact.

Answer: (B)

This question highlights how waste treatment methods differ in what happens to the waste, what energy they produce, and their long-term environmental risks. Incineration with energy recovery burns waste, dramatically reducing its volume, and the heat generated can be captured to produce electricity or heat. It does involve emissions, but these are controlled with pollution-control systems, and the energy recovery adds a useful purpose to the process. Landfills, on the other hand, simply store waste; as organic material breaks down without oxygen, methane is produced, which is a potent greenhouse gas, and leachate can threaten groundwater if not properly collected and treated. They also require long-term monitoring after closure to manage ongoing methane and leachate risks. So the statement that incineration reduces waste volume and can generate energy, while landfills store waste and pose methane and leachate risks with long-term monitoring, best captures the difference.