Amid an aggressive push to transition into renewable energy, international environmental organizations have urged regional developers to be cautious in venturing into waste-to-energy, or WTE, electricity production as it could not only be detrimental to the environment but also lead to increased expenses.

“Incineration, in particular, stands out as one of the most environmentally harmful and costly waste disposal methods. The industry greenwashes incineration as ‘waste-to-energy’ despite generating minimal amounts of usable energy,” Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, or GAIA, said over the weekend.

The group claimed that the incineration industry could be using WTE technology to “access billions of dollars in federal, state, and local green, renewable, and sustainable energy subsidies and tax breaks.”

The sole known method for converting waste into energy is incineration.

However, GAIA contends that incinerators generate hazardous ash that exacerbates air and water pollution and poses greater containment challenges.