REGARDING Mr Sanderson's letter in praise of recycling while berating incineration (February 14), I would like to point out that incineration technology is improving.

In essence he has some things right but most wrong. Incineration is just part of the integrated waste management process. Real recycling can only achieve about 20 per cent maximum of the waste process.

Biomass composting is too slow as the rate of waste produced is greater than the rate at which it is turned into compost, ie if you are producing compost at 100 tons per day and it is coming into the back door at 200 tons per day the process is not going to work.

There is a new type of thermal process offering the reliability and safety of conventional waste disposal combustion systems but without the associated environmental pollution. The ECLIPS system provides the safe disposal of all municipal and hazardous waste with the unique advantage of no smokestack and no air emissions.

The future management of waste will have to take into account many factors and, as such, many means of control will need to be used. Emission-free incineration should be used alongside recycling and other measures.

Bob Gardiner,

Buckingham House,

Kirkbymoorside,

York.

Updated: 10:03 Saturday, March 04, 2006