A POLITICAL row has erupted over the future of waste disposal in Suffolk, with Labour councillors accusing the Conservative-run authority of rejecting their calls for further recycling measures.

By Danielle Nuttall

A POLITICAL row has erupted over the future of waste disposal in Suffolk, with Labour councillors accusing the Conservative-run authority of rejecting their calls for further recycling measures.

A meeting of Suffolk County Council's environment, waste and economic development scrutiny committee took place on Friday to discuss new ways, other than landfill, to dispose of waste.

Conservative councillors recommended the cabinet consider incineration at a viable option but Labour party members issued a statement last night accusing them of rejecting their pleas for greater recycling facilities.

Cllr Sandy Martin, labour group lead for environment, said: “One big incinerator for Suffolk would lead to heavy lorries carrying waste across the county.

“One big incinerator would need to be fed with guaranteed amounts of waste - waste which we should be recycling. Recycling is by far the cheapest and mostly environmentally friendly option.”

The party said it had set out a number of ways to increase recycling rates further including making sure every household in the county had the three-bin recycling system and improving the level of advice to households.

But it said Tory councillors instead voted to recommend the building of one incinerator for the county.

The Conservatives have rebutted the claims with their own statement.

Tory leader Jeremy Pembroke said: “The Conservatives on the environment, waste and economic development scrutiny committee made the following recommendation to the cabinet for their consideration: 'We support the energy for waste option through incineration as being the most cost effective and energy efficient solution'.

“Not for the first time, the Labour group is playing politics. There was no mention of sites or numbers of incinerators made by the Conservative members at that meeting. It is simply the Labour group causing mischief.”

Mr Pembroke told the East Anglian Daily Times that unless the council made substantial improvements to the way it disposed of waste, council tax would increase significantly in line with landfill tax on waste.

“I have gone round parish councils and said to them that this is the biggest issue facing us. Every parish council has said on balance they are in favour of energy through waste incineration. Everybody agrees we cannot go the way we are going,” he added.

danielle.nuttall@eadt.co.uk