So, Councillor David Smith thinks the Brighton and Hove wastewater treatment works should not be in Brighton and Hove but in either Shoreham or Newhaven (The Argus, February 7)?

Well, Coun Smith, you, your colleagues and the rest of the residents of Brighton and Hove make the waste, therefore you should dispose of it within your own area.

The "proximity principle" states all waste should be managed and disposed of as close as practicable to the place where it is generated.

The "self-sufficiency" principle states waste should be treated and disposed of within the region in which it is produced. Brighton and Hove has thousands of acres of open land and there are a number of site options for a treatment works within its extensive boundary.

Newhaven is expanding very rapidly. Seven new housing developments, Trans-Manche ferries with regular crossings to Dieppe, the Super SeaCat fast ferry, numerous cargo boats calling at North Quay, the Fort, the various marinas for small leisure craft and the splendid West Quay developments all add up to a very lively Newhaven.

Newhaven already has a treatment works of its own and does not need a second one treating other people's waste.

Come on, Brighton and Hove councillors, you have a problem to solve. Don't pass the buck, do something constructive for once and within your own boundary.

-John Adams, Court Farm Road, Newhaven