The Waste Recycling Group, which runs the Eastcroft site, wants to build a third furnace allowing it to burn an extra 100,000 tonnes of waste a year.

But NAIL (Nottingham Against Incineration and Landfill) wants an increase in recycling and used the event in Sneinton to raise awareness.

A spokesperson for the furnace said four million tonnes of waste had been saved from landfill by the incinerator.

Recycling plea

In a statement they said: "The proposed extension would further reduce landfill and continue to allow rubbish left after recycling to be used to generate energy."

But the campaigners claim the site releases poisonous toxins.

Jon Beresford from NAIL, said: "We're inviting the community in - we want to get the message over to people that there is an incinerator down the road that wants to expand and it wants to burn more rubbish.

"There is an alternative, we need to reduce our waste and we need to recycle more."