Rubbish idea makes sense

It is unfortunate that the proposals for a waste disposal unit in Portobello have stumbled due to planning problems (your report, 31 July), although it is good news that the Powderhall incinerator is to continue. It is, of course, essential that all proper requirements are met with such a scheme, but much can still come from the basis of the plan.

The idea should not be pushed under the carpet as it could form the basis of an advanced way of dealing with several problems at once. A firm in Scotland is developing a system it calls "heat from waste". This includes a unit such as the Portobello scheme envisaged, but it is not merely a burner, it also produces electricity and can provide district heating. This is a superb way of gaining a lot of good from materials we now throw away. And, of course, it reduces spectacularly the amount of debris eventually sent to landfill, material that is far less noxious than the materials dumped there at present.

I would urge the council to investigate urgently the waste from heat process and seek to be among the first to introduce this truly pathfinding idea. The Powderhall plant can them be altered to fill a similar purpose. What a saving in electricity bills these could produce.

J R HALL

Colinton Grove

Edinburgh