Why is this not happening?

• It is more expensive to produce electricity by burning MSW than coal, nuclear or hydroelectricity.
• Biodiesel is more expensive than the regular petroleum oil.
• If the process of waste-to-energy plants is not carried out properly. For example, if the ash from the residue of the smelters is not disposed of properly or if faulty filters are used, burning garbage may harm the environment. Air pollution is created when garbage is burned and chemicals and substances that could be dangerous to both humans and the environment might be released. 
• Introducing the concept of burning garbage may hinder other current environmentally friendly programs such as recycling. People fear that if burning garbage is available, there will no longer be a reason to recycle any materials.
• There is always an unwillingness to change. Though the current situation requires an urgent solution, the problem is not evident to everyone and so people fear change to the status quo.
• If the materials are burned directly without any filter system, gases will contribute to problem of global warming because carbon dioxide is released by many of the forms of biomass.
• Burning wood as fuel is a health hazard and is disadvantageous to the people in the vicinity of the fireplace or stove.
• Wood has become more valuable than it used to be mainly because it is becoming increasingly scarce. It can be put to better uses like construction.
• There isn’t a sufficient amount of crops that would make the idea of such fuels like ethanol attractive. There would not be enough biomass material to be worth starting plants that could do the processing.
• Promoting the production of ethanol as a fuel will also lead to a choice people will have to make about whether to use corn for food or for fuel.
• Because agricultural wastes are used as biomass, the soil will be deprived of their natural fertilizer and so chemical fertilizer use may increase. Also it can deplete soils of ground cover and nutrients.
• Several biomass materials, like cornhusks, decompose quickly and so storage and transport problems will be created.