Global insights and feasibility evaluation of incineration approach for sustainable waste-to-energy conversion

The generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) is expected to rise from 2.01 billion tons in 2016–3.40 billion tons by 2050, mostly due to population expansion, urbanization, and industrialization in low- and middle-income nations. The technical, economic, environmental, and social viability of incineration-based waste-to-energy (WTE) is still heavily reliant on local waste characteristics and institutional conditions. WTE offers simultaneous waste-volume reduction, energy recovery, and partial displacement of fossil-based electricity. Using literature in Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for the years 2015–2026, this study presents a comprehensive evaluation of incineration-based WTE development; 118 studies are kept after PRISMA-based screening. Successful WTE deployment depends not only on technological maturity but also on source segregation, regulatory enforcement, emission-control infrastructure, financial capacity, and public acceptance. Large-scale incineration is restricted in developing-city contexts due to high-moisture trash, low technical capacity, poor governance, and reliance on unofficial waste-recovery systems. These limitations and the promise of an integrated treatment pathway are further demonstrated by a case study of Gazipur, Bangladesh. Diverting the organic portion (∼2220 t day⁻¹) to anaerobic digestion results in a dry combustible residue of about 627 t day⁻¹ with a corrected net calorific value of 14.79 MJ kg⁻¹ from around 3000 t MSW day⁻¹ and an organic content of about 74%. The outcomes indicate that a phased hybrid process of thermal treatment of dry combustible fraction and anaerobic digestion of the wet organic fraction can improve the quality of feedstock and improve the energy recovery time. The review also highlights the importance of advanced flue-gas treatment systems as well as efforts to prevent waste-throughput lock-in and the replacement of informal waste-sector livelihoods. Overall, the study shows that rather than choosing technologies based only on energy-recovery capability, sustainable WTE deployment necessitates an integrated techno-economic, environmental, and institutional framework.