Sir, No time to waste, says the Oxfordshire Waste Partnership (OWP). This is a public engagement by councils on what to do with our rubbish, which will not be allowed into landfill in coming years. The reason? Methane from rotting waste is contributing to climate change.

After re-use and recycling, there are several rubbish disposal technologies. If it is burned, the law says that electricity must be generated from it. There are different ways of "burning" it. Incineration (or Energy from Waste as OWP insist on calling it) is quite inefficient at converting the energy in the waste into electricity. It also creates dioxins etc. that then have to be extracted from the flue gases and buried in specially constructed hazardous waste landfill sites. Another way of burning it is gasification, (burning with reduced oxygen).

This is much more efficient at generating electricity. Furthermore, it destroys dioxins etc., so we do not have to be kept safe from them. There are other clever and safer technologies.

It is a given that business will operate the disposal facility(ies), and they have a right to make a profit. The constituent councils of the OWP have a duty to protect the public interest, and they can do this by choosing technologies that are more efficient and create less toxic residues than incineration. However, OWP has announced its intention to ask the waste industry to choose the technology. Industry cannot fully consider the public interest without compromising their earning potential, especially if all they know how to do is build incinerators.

Read all about it at www.notimetowaste. org.uk. OWP wants to hear our views by July 9. Remember, you can't complain if you don't participate.

Steve Gerrish, Kidlington