WITH regard to an article in your September 26 issue, "Decisions on waste are tough" - indeed they are, but I am amazed and disheartened that a supposed stalwart of our community, elected to serve that community, still believes that incineration is the way forward. Can't he be a bit more imaginative?

Our politicians do not seem to know what is going on around them. It is over two years since the majority of EU member states stopped constructing incinerators, due to the pollution they cause.

With all the money being wasted by the government - both local and national - it is about time we had an informed course of action that is not designed to feather the nests of companies looking for more profit.

The waste we are suffering comes from globalisation and the fact that all goods have to be distributed. While we, the consumers, benefit from cheaper prices, we also have to get rid of tons of waste packaging surrounding goods.

We should make all the packaging environmentally friendly at source, so that a disposable system at the consumer end can be used. This would not further corrupt an environment already affected by gallons of fuel to transport it in the first place.

I also wonder how much fuel is wasted in transporting waste to recycling sites.

I frequently sit for 15 minutes or more in a queue, while some great big lorry manoeuvres waste containers at the site. Once it has finished we are allowed in to deposit separated waste. We obviously need better management of our waste stations.

I tend to think that waste recycling is more political spin to convince us that something is being done, rather than achieving a better environment.

KEN MERRY

Whinchat Grove, Kidderminster