When I was a kid in Denmark (late 1960s to mid-70s) I remember going to the trash burning plant where the heat was actually used to heat steam that provided heating ("remote heating") for several subdivisions. It only made sense.

I live in the US now, but we go back to Denmark on holiday on a regular basis. It's amazing how much more garbage we generate in the US, just two people living in a house, compared to two people living in a house in Denmark. Just the waste from packaging alone is amazing in the US.