Why can’t we throw all our trash into a volcano and burn it up?

Emily Johnson, US Geological Survey, The Conversation

Posted 4/28/24

It’s true that lava is hot enough to burn up some of our trash. When Kilauea erupted on the Big island of Hawaii in 2018, the lava flows were hotter than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 Celsius). That’s hotter than the surface of the planet Venus, and hot enough to melt many rocks.