What method involves burning solid waste to generate steam for heating or electricity?

The method that involves burning solid waste to generate steam for heating or electricity is waste incineration. This process typically heats the waste in a controlled environment, resulting in the combustion of material. The heat generated from this burning can be used to produce steam, which can then power turbines for electricity generation or provide direct heating for various applications.

Waste incineration helps reduce the volume of waste significantly and captures energy that can be harnessed, making it an effective waste management strategy when properly regulated. This method contrasts with landfill processing, which focuses primarily on the containment and decomposition of waste without energy recovery, and chemical treatment or composting, which do not involve the combustion of waste to generate energy. Thus, waste incineration is a key option in waste management approaches aimed at energy recovery from solid waste.