COUNCIL chiefs have come to their senses at last. York urgently requires an incinerator. Building one would clear up such a lot of problems.

It would save councils using landfill; if an incinerator could be built on the outskirts of York housing, schools, care homes even hospitals could be built around it, thus the heat from incineration would heat all such buildings.

Landfill sites create greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming; they are a health hazard, possibly spreading disease and infections.

York used to have incinerators at Terries, Rowntrees, York Hospital and Foss Islands. We had no problems with incinerators years ago so I can’t see a problem building one now.

See the Isle of Man incinerator on the web: this is efficient. They have no landfill and heat from this is used for other buildings.

If a small island finds it works, we as a larger island should do the same. Conservationists and NIMBYS have ruined Britain.

D Wardell, Malton Road, York.

• IT IS encouraging to see that our household “waste” (that we rinse, crush and sort, free of charge, for the council) could shortly be used for energy generation (Incinerator confirmed, The Press, June 30).

Truly, one man’s waste is another man’s raw materials.

Surely there will come a time when, instead of being charged for waste collection, we can look forward to receiving a council tax rebate to reflect the increasing value of the feedstocks – scrap metal, glass, cardboard, paper, compost and, in time, fuel – we diligently deliver to the kerbside.

David Farnsworth, Old Orchard, Haxby, York.