The planned construction of new municipal waste incineration plants over the next few years in Poland results in protests of local communities, which arise mainly from fear of an increase in the air pollution in its vicinity. These protests extend the investment process and hinder the selection of incineration plant location, but on the other hand they necessitate the use of more efficient solutions to reduce their impact on the air quality.

This paper characterizes the world's most widely used technology for municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) and assesses the possible maximum impact on the air quality of an exemplary MSWI plant with a capacity of about 250,000 Mg/year (two independent incineration lines, each with a capacity of 17 Mg/h). The assessment takes into account a diversity of air pollutant emissions resulting from the emission limit values set for different times of averaging, diversification of geometric dimensions of a stack and the exhaust velocity of gases, as well as the diversity of coverage and use of the area around the incineration plant. Based on the conducted calculations, recommendations for this type of installation regarding, among others, the parameters of the emitters and their location, were set out allowing to minimize their impact on the air pollution in the vicinity of the nearest buildings. Particular attention was paid to these substances, the emission of which is the most disturbing, and for which in many Polish cities the air quality standards are not complied with.