The Scottish Government has been criticised for not having adequate plans over incineration of waste before a vital Fife Council vote on a major incinerator near Cardenden.
Planning permission in principle was granted to redevelop the former Westfield opencast coal mine.
Central planning committee will discuss more detailed plans for the development on Monday.
However, critics have said plans for a solar farm, business units and parkland included in the masterplan are merely “greenwashing” for a large incinerator that could burn up to 250,00 tonnes of waste per year.
An investigation in 2017 found 11 new waste incinerators could be built in Scotland, including the site at Westfield, with capacity to burn more than two million tonnes of waste per year.
Campaigners say this could undermine recycling efforts and cause environmental damage.
Mid Scotland and Fife Green MSP Mark Ruskell said: “In the last few years we’ve seen a rush of applications in Scotland to build so called energy from waste facilities, which will burn rubbish we will soon no longer be able to send to landfill.
“This completely misses the point of closing landfill sites however.
“We should be doing all we can to reduce non-recyclable waste to an absolute minimum, not planning to burn it all instead.”
Despite meetings, Mr Ruskell said the Scottish Government still had not produced a long term plan for managing incineration.
Instead, he claimed, the planning system was being dictated by companies sensing a business opportunity.
He said there were specific local issues which had yet to be addressed at Westfield, including an influx of HGVs on rural roads.
“I hope Fife councillors will take this into account when considering the application, but the Scottish Government also needs to urgently step up and put in place clear plans to minimise waste incineration in Scotland in the coming decades.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said it had committed to “ambitious” targets to reduce waste by 15% and recycle 70% of all waste by 2025.
“Energy from waste scheme have a role to play, when effort to reduce, reuse and recycle have been exhausted, and incineration is necessary if we are to reduce our reliance on landfill,” he added.
“We continue to work closely with local authorities to drive up recycling rates and we are making progress on a deposit return scheme to increase the amount of valuable materials being recycled.”
He said it would be inappropriate to comment on the specific application as it remained live.
