THE leader of Bolton Council has challenged Friends of the Earth to come clean about how THEY would deal with waste management for the town. Cllr Bob Howarth wants the environmental campaign group to produce their own alternative and detailed 10-year waste management plans for Bolton and Greater Manchester. He wants FoE to give their own forecast of the amount of waste to be dealt with, how to deal with it, what new facilities would be required and where, what planning permission would be needed, together with the cost to taxpayers.

His challenge is in response to accusations by FoE's co-ordinator Dennis Watson that the ruling Labour group defied the party's environment policy by supporting plans for a Red Moss supertip at Horwich.

Mr Watson said the town would enter the 21st century as the "waste capital of the North-west".

But Cllr Howarth told Mr Watson in a letter: "It is easy to criticise our proposals and suppress important facts, but it would be more helpful to hear how you would deal with the waste and financial problems facing the people of Bolton."

Mr Watson urged councillors to fight plans for Red Moss, and oppose the upgrading of the Raikes Lane municipal waste incinerator and the planned hospital waste incinerator at Bolton General.

Bolton Council has opposed plans for the hospital incinerator but intends to run the Red Moss tip in partnership with UK Waste.

Cllr Howarth, talking about the Raikes Lane incinerator, said: "I note that Greater Manchester Waste's managing director denied your claims that rubbish would be imported from outside the town and confirmed he would be consulting residents' associations."

On Red Moss, Cllr Howarth said: "The proposed landfill will have the highest engineering and operating standards, ensuring the protection of people and the environment.

"The planning authority will engage consulting engineers to comment on all technical aspects.

"Legislation requires that proper provision is made for after-care. The current life of the site is estimated for 10 years, but thereafter the site will be monitored to ensure its safety until such time as the regulatory authorities are satisfied.

"Funding of the long-term after-care will be paid for during the site's operation, ensuring that waste producers do pay for long-term costs of their waste management.

"It is nonsense, therefore, to infer the proposal does not look to the future and have regard to the protection of our successors," he said.

Cllr Howarth added: "Unlike yourself elected representatives have the responsibility for taking decisions regarding the need for and the benefit from safe disposal of everyday rubbish. We take decisions on best advice aimed at both dealing with the problem and not harming the environment."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.