A WASTE incinerator could be built in a North-East town to achieve Government targets on rubbish disposal.

Council consultants in Darlington have been working on possible solutions over the past six months and, this month, councillors will debate the options, which include building an incinerator.

Incinerators have proved controversial in other parts of the region - campaigners in Sedgefield, County Durham, are fighting plans to build one at George Bolam Foods Limited, in Salters Lane. Campaigners in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, have fought similar plans.

Last night, a member of Friends of the Earth (FoE) said incinerators caused pollution and toxic ash and did not encourage councils to recycle.

Mary Wilson, of Darlington FoE, said: "We would rather see more recycling and a reduction in the amount of waste produced. I think Darlington Borough Council could do a lot more than it does."

More than 80 per cent of the waste produced by Darlington last year was placed in landfill sites and the borough council needs to reduce that figure to achieve Government targets.

It says it is trying to increase recycling and the report going to the council's cabinet on Tuesday sets out plans to recycle more household waste.

Of the seven options in the report, the preferred option is to use an incinerator outside the borough. The second-best option would be to build a waste incinerator in the town.

The report says that the cost of building a waste incinerator in Darlington is likely to be similar to using an incinerator outside the borough. However, Darlington would have to pay the cost of transporting the waste to the other site. Incinerators produce energy, and each option would create jobs.

In 2004/2005, Darlington produced 57,005 tonnes of municipal waste, of which 17.5 per cent was recycled or composted and 82.5 per cent was buried in landfill outside the borough.

In December 2004, the chimney at Byker Incinerator, in Newcastle, was demolished after a five-year battle between residents and Newcastle City Council.

Two years earlier, the authority was fined £25,000 for allowing toxic ash from the incinerator to be used on allotments paths - putting residents at risk.