The campaign group South Yorkshire Against Incineration claim the council is worthy of the award as it's currently considering allowing extra household waste to be brought in from Barnsley, Doncaster and Chesterfield to be burned in the city's incinerator.

Sheffield Council's contractor Veolia, which runs the city's Energy Recovery Facility in Bernard Road, Hyde Park, has applied for planning permission to import 75,000 tonnes of extra waste a year from the neighbouring towns.

Campaigner Jeff Rice said: "It is disgraceful that lovely Sheffield should be turned into the dustbin of the region. We are supposed to be a green city.

"This proposal to bring in extra rubbish to burn in our city centre should be rejected. Chesterfield, Barnsley and Doncaster already have good recycling rates, far superior to Sheffield in fact.

"They need to build on this success with further recycling and other waste treatment methods that are greener than incineration. They should aspire to more than dumping their leftovers on Sheffield."

Mr Rice said the Lib Dem council should help people recycle more, particularly glass, food, drink cans and plastic bottles.

"If Sheffield could catch up with the recycling rates of Barnsley, Doncaster and Chesterfield, that would be great.

"If we all recycle more, this starts to starve the incinerator, showing how unsustainable incineration is.

"If the Lib Dem council really want to be green, they should throw out this planning application.

"Our dustbin of the UK award will make a nice gold statue for the city and will remind the council just how 'green' it really is."

A decision on the planning application is due to be made by Sheffield Council's planning board before the start of September.

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