The city council's planners have drawn up the shortlist after assessing more than 100 places. The executive is expected to consider the four options as well the range of technology available for the facility, at a meeting in autumn.
The council has already named energy-from-waste as its preferred choice in its waste strategy but has said it is still open to all options.
The potential sites are all in the city's Cross Green Industrial Estate in east Leeds and include Knowstrop sewage works; land next to this site; the wholesale market; the former Skelton Grange Power Station site.
Councillor Steve Smith, executive member for environmental services, said: “The Cross Green Industrial Estate is ideal for a waste treatment facility because good road and rail links already exist and there are few residential buildings nearby which reduces the impact of any traffic visiting the site.”
Proposals
Plans for the project are at an early stage so the cost and capacity of the facility are yet to be decided but Leeds council has set itself a target of reducing landfill from its 2005/06 level of 79% to 10% by 2020.
The contract is expected to last between 25-30 years. It is likely to be built in 2012/2013, subject to planning permission and will start processing waste in 2014. At its meeting in October, councillors are also expected to consider an outline case for PFI credits from Defra.
In its waste strategy for 2005-2035, published last year, the city council assessed energy-from-waste (EfW) to be the most viable option from a range of technologies, including anaerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and in-vessel composting, because of its costs and benefits.
MBT was considered the only other option, apart from EfW to treat residual waste, on the scale the council has said it is aiming for. However, it considered MBT a risk because the UK local authorities using the technology had “only commenced operations since 2005”.
In 2005/06, Leeds hit a recycling/composting rate of 21.3%. It presently operates a monthly kerbside collection system of paper, plastics, cardboard and cans.
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