I'VE heard that Sita are appealing against the decision not to let them burn rubbish in St Dennis in Cornwall.

But I have also been following the proposals to burn waste at a new incinerator in Plymouth.

I'm no nimby, or tree-hugger, but I do hate waste. I accept that landfill is wrong, and am appalled by the amount of recyclable waste being put into landfill.

I watched How Do They Do That? on TV the other night. There was a very interesting piece on household waste treatment and disposal in Dorset.

They take all the household waste, mechanically separate and sort all large and steel items, which leaves mainly compostable waste. They then compost it all.

They filter it, to remove any non-composted waste, like plastics, that got through the coarse sort at the start.

All metals, glass, and plastics go for recycling if possible. All the compost is used as fertiliser.

Only a very small amount is either burnt or in landfill.

We're not talking future technology, or overseas ideas – we're talking about something which is happening just up the road.

My only slight criticism of the plant is, when composting, methane is produced. If they composted in a sealed environment, they could use the methane to power the plant , generate power for the grid, or feed it into the gas mains.

If a proper scheme is suitable for Dorset, why isn't it suitable for us?