AS MANY as two more waste incinerators could be needed in Kent to cope with a growing mountain of rubbish.

Kent County Council has set out four possible sites for new waste-to-incinerator energy plants in the east of the county as part of a wide-ranging strategy to deal with rubbish between now 2014.

It also expects to need more landfill sites over the same period.

The four potential sites KCC has earmarked are: The Link Park industrial estate, Lympne, near Hythe; The White Cliffs Business Park, Dover; the former Tilmanstone Colliery near Deal and Richborough Power Station, Sandwich.

The announcement that KCC is considering more incinerators is bound to spark controversy.

It comes as a new plant at Allington, Maidstone, prepares to start operations in October to deal with half a million tonnes of Kent’s waste each year.

County council chiefs say at least one more incinerator, together with more landfill sites will be needed in Kent to deal with the growing mountain of household and industrial rubbish that must be disposed of each year.

Despite a drive to encourage more recycling, the county council estimates that on current trends, Kent will need to deal with more than 300,000 tonnes of additional household waste each year.

Researchers recently cast doubt on the green credentials of waste-to-energy incinerators, saying studies had shown they produced more carbon dioxide from fossil fuels than a gas-fired power station.

However, KCC says that while the amount of rubbish recycled or composted is increasing, the rate at which rubbish is being generated means more facilities are unavoidbable.

Council leaders sought to reassure residents everything would be done to minimise the impact of any incinerator and they had identified the "most promising" sites.

Cllr Graham Gibbens (Con), the KCC cabinet member responsible for waste, said: "We recognise these issues will lead to difficult decisions the county council will have to take."

Cllr Keith Ferrin (Con), KCC’s cabinet member for the environment and the chairman of the Kent Waste Forum, said: "Kent residents are facing some tough decisions about how we manage, treat and dispose of the household waste we all create."

The incinerator proposals form a key part of the authority’s Waste Development Framework, a blueprint for how Kent intends to deal with rubbish up to 2014.

The public will get a chance to express its views over the next ten weeks. At the same time, KCC has embarked on a consultation on a related strategy to deal with household waste over the next 20 years.

More details of KCC’s plans can be found at www.kentwaste.dialoguebydesign.net