Council defends incinerator plan

The council plans to burn half of the county's waste

Plans to build an incinerator in Staffordshire have been defended by the county council.

The council's "Zero Waste to Landfill" scheme aims to get recycling rates up to 50% with the rest of the rubbish being burnt to create electricity.

It said a new incinerator at Four Ashes would power 20,000 homes.

The Green Party said the incinerator would release toxic gases into the atmosphere but the council has said studies showed it was safe.

'No adverse effects'

John Gale, from the Stafford branch of the Green Party, said the ash from the incinerator would have to be sent to a landfill site.

He added: "That's ignoring all the toxins that have already gone into the air of course."

The council's municipal waste strategy director Ian Benson said: "Most residents will not notice much smoke coming out at any time and also there have been various studies done on the environmental effects of these plants.

"They came to the conclusion that there are no adverse effects at all."