GREENS in York have denounced a plan to consult on a new waste management scheme for the city as a "sham".

Coun Andy D'Agorne said a questionnaire, which will be sent out to homes in York and North Yorkshire, meant the public would be voting on whether to accept an incinerator to burn waste.

On Wednesday, the Evening Press reported how the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership - a partnership including City of York Council - planned to ask the public their views on the future of the environment.

Residents will receive a form in the next few weeks with information about the challenges faced in the future and the possible solutions.

The partnership wants to recycle and compost between 50 per cent and 55 per cent of household waste by 2013.

Coun D'Agorne slammed the two options presented to the public to improve the way waste is collected - which include plans for an incinerator or "energy from waste plant". He said the partnership had originally come up with 11 options, but only two will be on the questionnaire.

He said the public was not being given a choice. "The people of York and North Yorkshire are entitled to comment on all the options, not just the two put forward on the leaflet," he said.

Coun Andrew Waller, the council's environment chief, said: "There were many more options that we were looking at, but we couldn't present them all. It's our job to evaluate. We have got to do something, along the lines of a joint Private Finance Initiative scheme, by 2012 otherwise we will end up with £53 million worth of penalties. I am not wedded to any form of technology, but it has to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and be financially viable.

"If people want to make representations to me then I am more than willing to meet with them and talk about it."

Updated: 09:33 Monday, November 28, 2005