container for burning refuse (refuse disposal system), or plant designed for large-scale refuse combustion. In the second sense, an incinerator consists of a furnace into which the refuse is charged and ignited (usually by a gas burner), a secondary chamber in which burning at a high temperature is continued to complete the combustion process, and flues to convey the gases to a chimney. Auxiliary equipment may include steam boilers (boiler) for using waste heat to generate electricity or to heat nearby buildings and devices for removing ash and other pollutants from the flue gases.

Incinerator plants usually include facilities for unloading and storing refuse for short periods to permit uniform charging of the furnaces and, sometimes, rough sorting or classification of the refuse.

Incineration facilitates refuse disposal by reducing the solid waste of a community to about 10 percent of the original volume; but it often creates an air-pollution problem.