Method for treating the waste gas of a combustion engine with a waste gas treatment system for treating the waste gas of the combustion engine, with a waste gas system which is connected to an outlet of the combustion engine, wherein the waste gas system comprises a waste gas channel in which, in the flow direction of a waste gas of the combustion engine through the waste gas channel, a three-way catalytic converter is arranged close-coupled to the engine as the first emissions-lowering component, and downstream of the close-coupled three-way catalytic converter is arranged a four-way catalytic converter or a combination of a particle filter and a second three-way catalytic converter installed downstream of said particle filter; wherein the waste gas treatment system comprises a secondary air pump and a waste gas burner; wherein, downstream of the close-coupled three-way catalytic converter and upstream of the four-way catalytic converter or of the particle filter, at least one discharge point is provided at which the hot waste gases of the waste gas burner can be introduced into the waste gas system to heat the four-way catalytic converter or the particle filter, comprising the following steps: - heating the four-way catalytic converter or the particle filter to a regeneration temperature (T R) by introducing hot burner gases of the waste gas burner, wherein a stoichiometric waste gas is adjusted downstream of the four-way catalytic converter or downstream of the second three-way catalytic converter, - switching off the waste gas burner and blowing in secondary air upstream of the four-way catalytic converter or of the particle filter, wherein the soot retained in the four-way catalytic converter or in the particle filter is oxidized by a super-stoichiometric waste gas (λ > 1), - intermittently alternating between a heating phase, in which the waste gas burner is active and the waste gas is heated by the waste gas burner, and a regeneration phase, in which the waste gas burner is switched off and secondary air is blown into the waste gas channel upstream of the four-way catalytic converter or of the particle filter, in order to supply the oxygen necessary for oxidizing the soot retained in the four-way catalytic converter or in the particle filter, until the four-way catalytic converter or the particle filter is completely regenerated. - heating the four-way catalytic converter or the particle filter to a regeneration temperature (T R) by introducing hot burner gases of the waste gas burner, wherein a stoichiometric waste gas is adjusted downstream of the four-way catalytic converter or downstream of the second three-way catalytic converter, - switching off the waste gas burner and blowing in secondary air upstream of the four-way catalytic converter or of the particle filter, wherein the soot retained in the four-way catalytic converter or in the particle filter is oxidized by a super-stoichiometric waste gas (λ > 1), - intermittently alternating between a heating phase, in which the waste gas burner is active and the waste gas is heated by the waste gas burner, and a regeneration phase, in which the waste gas burner is switched off and secondary air is blown into the waste gas channel upstream of the four-way catalytic converter or of the particle filter, in order to supply the oxygen necessary for oxidizing the soot retained in the four-way catalytic converter or in the particle filter, until the four-way catalytic converter or the particle filter is completely regenerated.