With its acrid, billowing black smoke that caused scratchy throats and eyes as rubbish burned in the grate, the old backyard incinerator has become a relic.

But could a similar process, albeit on a much larger scale, be an environmentally friendly solution to both our glut of waste and problems with our energy supply?

How a waste to energy plant proposed for Melbourne's western suburbs by upper house Labor MP Cesar Melhem could look.

It’s an idea that’s gaining traction in Australia at various levels of government – although not everyone agrees.

As councils wrestle with increasing amounts of waste going to landfill after China restricted the importation of recyclables, and state and federal ministers feud over energy supplies, a solution to both these vexed issues can’t come quickly enough.