In July 2001, the European Commission published a study of Waste Management Options and Climate Change. The full report can be accessed at http://ec.europa.eu/comm/environment/waste/ studies/climatechange.htm. Paragraph 3.1.2 of the report concludes that mass burn incineration of municipal solid waste, without energy recovery, gives lower net greenhouse gas fluxes than landfilling with EU-average standards of gas collection. In general, incineration options which include energy recovery have lower net greenhouse gas fluxes than landfills with best practice standards, the exception being where the energy generated replaces that generated by wind turbines.
The life cycle of products up to the point of disposal is the same for landfilling and incineration, and is not relevant to a decision between the two disposal options.