A CAMPAIGN group who claim York could soon be home to a new incinerator have urged people to tell council chiefs there is another way to deal with waste.

York Residents Against Incineration, Y-RAIN, has produced a leaflet stating that "incinerators are poisonous and pointless".

The Evening Press has previously reported that the group wants to persuade City of York Council and North Yorkshire County Council to reject an option of building an incinerator to burn the region's waste.

Y-RAIN, which has also launched a website to publicise its campaign, says the two local authorities are planning to construct an "energy from waste incinerator" to deal with about 30 per cent of York's waste.

Claiming this is 40,000 tonnes of rubbish going up in smoke every year, Y-RAIN is stating there are "other, better ways of dealing with our waste".

The group has attacked a public consultation scheme during Christmas, branding it a "sham" and have urged people to get involved in opposing an incinerator in the months before the authority decides which technology it wants to use to deal with the city's waste in the future.

Ivana Jakubkova, of Y-RAIN, said: "We have a few months before the council has to decide which technology it should use for treating our waste.

"Why not use the time productively and look at all sensible alternatives? Y-RAIN would like to engage the public and the council in an informed public debate to make sure that the right choice is made - one that would be beneficial for both our society and the environment."

Coun Andrew Waller, the council's environment chief, said there would be another chance to consult on the issue of waste as part of the local development framework.

He said: "The council and North Yorkshire County Council have yet to submit an outline business case. We are not wedded at this stage to a particular type of technology.

"We will be looking at the whole environmental impact and costs of any scheme that we would invite companies to bid for."

Y-RAIN's website can be found at www.noburner.org.uk

Updated: 10:47 Saturday, March 18, 2006