Many Canberrans have not taken kindly to it or the proposal for a waste-to-fuel facility in Hume by the former Foy Group.

While the territory acknowledges the need to cut down the waste we produce there is still a lack of trust about new technologies that can seemingly magic our rubbish into positive uses.

In a way it seems too good to be true that instead of cutting back our consumption and improving our recycling habits these facilities will turn our trash into gold.

The Hume Traders Association and Tuggeranong residents certainly think so given their huge opposition to the fuel conversion plan.

Fears over the safety of such facilities need to be acknowledged particularly when it comes to potentially toxic emissions or explosion risks.

The plastic-to-fuel factory proposal was effectively killed off in May after a health panel found there were too many risks with the unproven technology.

It is therefore not a shock that the ACT Greens' new policy slams these facilities as "no better than burning dirty fossil fuels".

The policy document also outlines the party's support for non-thermal technologies and clean-energy solutions to deal with waste in the ACT.

It should be acknowledged that innovative solutions to deal with the waste problem, such as proposed by both companies, are important and needed as long as their safety can be proved.

We can take a risk on a first for Australia as long as it's a safe one for the community.

While the ACT government prides itself on being the bush capital and being clean and green, it produces its fair share of waste.

If we are to oppose the establishment of facilities that propose alternatives to dumping our trash in the landfill then perhaps we should aim to clean-up our act too.

If we don't it is unlikely we will meet the goal of recovering 90 per cent of waste in Canberra by 2025.