A deep analysis of a municipal waste incineration plant behavior allows to point out some typical questions arising from the operational point of view, such as the inverse response of the steam flowrate produced with respect to the waste feed flowrate. As a matter of facts, when the waste load is increased, it is generally presumed that the steam flowrate increases (since the burnable material available has increased); however, the waste temperature and moisture content correspond to an initial heat requirement that can be able to reduce the combustion temperature. With such behavior a simple feedback control structure generates unacceptable oscillations of the controlled variable seriously compromising the stability of the process, itself. This paper will try to address, discuss and solve the inherent problems related to the optimal control algorithm. The design of an advanced control structure will be proposed through the use of a detailed dynamic simulation model of the incineration unit. Finally, the control strategy implemented on-line, in an Italian municipal waste management plant, through the interaction of a personal computer with a Digital Control System (DCS) device, will provide the experimental closed loop data to be compared with the theoretical ones.