Region 1: EPA New England

What Kinds of Combustion Units Are There?

There are several types of combustors that may be used to burn waste. These include: 1) large municipal waste combustors; 2) small municipal waste combustors, 3) hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators; 4) commercial and industrial solid waste incineration units; 5) other solid waste incinerators; 6) hazardous waste incinerators and manufacturing waste incinerators; and 7) industrial boilers and furnaces that burn waste. Combustors in categories 1-5 are regulated under Section 129 of the Clean Air Act. Combustors in categories 6 and 7 are regulated under the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Toxics Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Presently, in New England, there are facilities in all of the above categories except Category 6.

Several recent court decisions may affect the exact definitions of some of these categories.

You may find out more about the regulations affecting each category by clicking on the title.

1. Large Municipal Waste Incinerators (LMWCs)
   Large municipal waste combustors are incinerators which are capable of burning greater than 250 tons of municipal waste per day and which burn household, commercial, and/or institutional waste. Burning waste reduces its volume before disposal into a landfill. Municipal waste combustors include the subcategory of waste-to-energy plants which generate electricity or steam from burning waste. Presently, there are 14 LMWCs in New England.
2. Small Municipal Waste Incinerators (SMWCs)
   Smaller communities may be served by incinerators similar to those in Category 1, except that they only burn 35 to 250 tons of waste per day. There are five plants in New England that are classified as SMWCs.
3. Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators (HMIWIs)
   Hospital/medical/infectious waste incinerators (medical waste incinerators) are incinerators used by the hospitals, health care facilities, and commercial waste disposal companies to burn hospital, medical, and infectious wastes. Burning this waste reduces its volume and kills pathogens/diseases in the waste material. There is one HMIWI unit in New England.
4. Commercial and Industrial Incinerators (CISWIs)
   EPA has passed regulations and guidelines for the fourth type of incinerator. The regulations and guidelines apply to incinerators used by commercial and industrial facilities to burn non-hazardous solid waste. There is one CISWI unit in New England.
5. Other Solid Waste Incinerators (OSWIs)
   Presently, two types of incinerator, very small municipal waste combustors (VSMWCs) and institutional waste incinerators (IWIs), fall into this category. Very small municipal waste combustors are municipal waste combustors which burn less than 35 tons per day. Institutional waste incinerators are used by schools, churches, prisons, etc. to burn the waste generated by these facilities. There are 6 VSMWCs in New England, all in New Hampshire, and one facility in Massachusetts which may be classified and an IWI. Several other OSWIs in New England have recently ceased operation.
6. Hazardous Waste and Manufacturing Waste Incinerators
   Finally, there is another class of combustion units that can burn wastes regulated under RCRA, these are boilers and industrial furnaces. These units can be found in industrial settings. The waste must have an energy value, i.e., BTUs before it can be burned in these units. The energy that is recovered is reused in the manufacturing process.
7. Boilers and Industrial Furnaces
   There is another class of combustion units that can burn wastes regulated under RCRA, these are boilers and industrial furnaces. These units can be found in industrial settings. The waste must have an energy value, i.e., BTUs before it can be burned in these units. The energy that is recovered is reused in the manufacturing process. There are two such units in New England.