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Incinerators have grown decidedly unpopular in mainland France, so much so that such projects often meet significant resistance from the general public. Yet two “energy recovery units” are currently taking shape in Reunion Island, a French oversea territory. These projects have been on the backburner for thirty years and are now coming to fruition: one of them was built in 2020 with little to no resistance, while the other should be built by 2022, although it is more unpopular. What prompted the shift towards waste incineration? This article first analyzes how waste issues are framed in Reunion before questioning how incineration came to gain a foothold in the island. What functions does waste incineration perform in the wider scope of the flows of matter that feed the island? Rising to the call to “make waste public,” I argue for a more radical approach to waste management.