Sleep walking into a flawed strategy for waste disposal

10.59.22am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 17th Jan 2007

Cllr David Ward has accused the Council of pursuing a 'flawed strategy' over waste disposal. He said,

" At its meeting yesterday the Council's Executive is clearly moving towards building an incinerator for domestic waste at the site in Bowling Back Lane. By planning to consolidate activities on just two sites at their meeting on January 16th, they are effectively saying that only these two could be used. Then they go on to say that Bowling Back Lane has the extra benefit of the former Yorkshire Electricity site which could be bought.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that, badged up as a ' revised depot consolidation strategy ', and with the Government supporting incineration, this is where Bradford's site will be, because the site already has a waste disposal licence.

All this is happening without the benefit of any detailed public debate about recycling, reduction and reuse, and the disposal of what is left. Bradford North Area Committee has set its face against incineration of plastics and wants the council to be more proactive about collecting and recycling it.

Effectively, the citizens of Bradford are sleepwalking into a plan which they haven't had a chance to debate."

Local resident Tracey Leeming said,

"Building an incinerator in the inner city is not something which I could support especially when there is no clear evidence that the people of Bradford have even begun to think about it, let alone weighted up the implications for those who live nearby.

Before this plan goes any further, the Council should look at options for different sites and different solutions and start a big debate about the future of Bradford's waste."