The bed combustion in an incinerator interacts with the gas flow region through heat and mass transfer. Combined bed combustion and gas flow simulations are performed to investigate this coupled interaction for various operating conditions and furnace configurations. Radiation onto the bed from the furnace is interrelated with the combustion characteristics in the bed, and is also affected by the flow pattern in the gas flow region. Since the contribution of gaseous emission to the total radiation is significant, an adequate flow pattern in a well-designed furnace shape would lead to an increased heat influx on the bed, especially in the early stage of the waste combustion. Advancing the initiation point of the waste combustion can also reduce the size of the lower gas temperature region above the bed, which can be achieved by controlling operating conditions such as the waste feeding rate, the bed height and the primary air flow distribution.