I was pleased to read the response (Letters August 31) by the City of York Council's recycling officer, regarding planned levels of waste reclamation.

However, concern remains about future policy on disposal of non-recyclable waste.

Several years ago, Foss Island incinerator was closed by North Yorkshire County Council and replaced by "landform" dumping on flat ground at Harewood Whin, near Rufforth.

York has since become a unitary authority, taking over direct responsibility for waste disposal.

However, it inherited contractural arrangements with Yorwaste, an "arm's length" commercial offshoot of the county council.

Has this locked the city council into perpetuating landform disposal for many years hence?

My long term concern is that other villages round York may successively get the City's waste on their doorsteps, once Harewood Whin reaches capacity.

It seems more sensible to take waste to landfill sites - holes in the ground - allowing former mines and quarries to be reclaimed for landscaping or agriculture.

Greater Manchester and Avon send their rubbish many miles by "binliner" trains to such places. Does the Government operate any grant schemes, allowing other local authorities to similarly send rubbish by rail or barge, where no suitable, local 'holes' exist?

If not, should they?

Paul F. Hepworth,

Windmill Rise, Holgate, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.