There will be no waste incinerators in Essex, a leading county councillor pledged at a green conference in Chelmsford.

Cllr Kay Twitchen, who specialises in waste for the controlling Tory group on the council, was speaking at the event on Saturday organised by Friends of the Earth.

"Let's make this absolutely crystal clear," she said. ''There will be no incineration in Essex.

''My party is against it and I am sure county members sitting there will never vote for incineration either," she said, indicating Labour and Liberal Democrat county councillors.

She said although political faces in Essex were turned against incineration they still had to fight a cumbersome system of regulation which until recently looked like foisting incineration as a "last resort" policy on the county.

But speakers revealed that things were changing fast.

Cllr Trevor Miller of Chelmsford Borough Council, and chairman of the group of boroughs and districts formed to fight incineration, said there appeared to have been a big improvement in Essex recycling.

He expected there to be 24 per cent recycling this year with an 11 per cent jump next year and a total of 62 per cent recycling and reuse by 2004/5. "It depends on blood, sweat and tears - and funding." he said.

Keith Collins, an international campaigner against incineration, said Environment Secretary Michael Meacher was now "at war" with his own officials in his bid to impose a national anti-incineration policy.

Cllr Don Reel, chairman of Sandon Parish Council, deplored the way the planning process was working in respect of Sandon quarry.

An application to use the site for burying the sort of waste that could be composted or recycled would be going to a county committee next month, a day after the final consultation proposal for the Essex waste plan was decided.

Conference chairman, Paula Whitney of Essex FOE said: ''There is a very sad situation developing for the villagers of Sandon."

Hot topic: Protesters from Sandon and Pitsea make their point outside County Hall.

By Peter Baker

Reporter's e-mail: peter.baker@essex-chronicle.co.uk

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