A DISUSED South East Cornwall landfill site could soon become the home of Cornwall's 300,000 tonnes of waste if expansion plans are given the go ahead.

Management company Sita Cornwall wants to reopen the site at Connon Bridge, East Taphouse, to landfill waste and increase its capacity by 66%.

It would mean up to 110 lorries from across Cornwall moving in and out of the landfill site depositing tonnes of waste each day.

The site was temporarily closed in December 2007 to make best use of the available space at United Mines landfill, Redruth, before it closes in October next year.

Currently waste is only accepted at the transfer station at Connon Bridge where it is transferred to Redruth.

But if the expansion goes ahead, the site near Liskeard would accommodate waste from households and businesses all over the county.

Cornwall produces approximately 300,000 tonnes of rubbish each year.

Sita Cornwall is due to submit a report to Cornwall Council proposing the capacity increase.

James Pike, regional manager for SITA Cornwall, said: "The report is being submitted because the county will run out of landfill space by 2014, which means we have just four years of landfill capacity left in Cornwall.

"The county needs its own landfill site to take non-recycled waste so that we can be self-sufficient. We cannot afford to find ourselves in the position that we have to start sending waste for disposal out of the county."

A local liaison group is working with SITA Cornwall to view the plans, make suggestions and advise them on how to maintain good relations with residents during the development and operation of the site.

Any planning submission would not be finalised until 2010 following a period of public consultation.

Liskeard mayor Tony Powell said: "The longer the decision to provide an incinerator takes the more pressure there will be to continue the need for a landfill. At some point someone will have to make some serious decisions."

The additional capacity would not involve any extension to the site.

Stuart Higgins, operations manager for Landfills said: "We can extend the life of the landfill site by modifying the site's contours, without increasing the high point of the site and we can still remain within the current site boundary.

"We are committed to the highest standard of environmental management at our facilities. We have recently invested just under £1 million on a state-of -the-art leachate treatment plant at the site. And we collect landfill gas at both of the company's Cornish landfill sites, currently creating enough power between them for 13,000 homes and saving 34,000 tonnes of CO2.

"We understand that extending the life of a landfill site will not be popular with everyone.

"However, we urgently need a landfill site in the county to dispose of the 300,000 tonnes of waste produced each year by householders and businesses and we need to dispose of it in Cornwall.

"Householders and businesses can't recycle everything and although the role of landfill is reducing, some of Cornwall's waste will still need to be managed in this way."