Articles
Waste in Guernsey
In Guernsey we have almost run out of space for the growing tide of rubbish and therefore our need to reduce what is sent to Mont Cuet is urgent.
Disposable Plastic Bags... why we need to reduce them.
Guernsey uses in excess of 10 million disposable plastic bags. They are used on average for 20 minutes before being discarded. The resultant littering problems, the waste issues at Mont Cuet, the damage to our marine environment, and the irresponsible use of oil to make disposable bags, are all issues we need to address.
Guided Tour of Guernsey's Waste & Recycling Facilities on 8 November 2008
G-CAN has organised a guided tour of Guernsey's Waste & Recycling facilities from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm. This tour will visit Longue Hougue where large item recycling & scavenging takes place; Fontaine Vinery Segregation where the tins, cans & glass arrive from the bring bank; the Mont Cuet landfill site; the Chouet horitcultural site; Mayside Recycling Ltd., which receives paper, cardboard, juice & milk cartons, and polyethylene plastic; Guernsey Recycling, which receives scrap metal, appliances and vehicles; and Island Waste Ltd. which recycles the contents of skips.
The Future of Guernsey's Waste - A Load of Old Rubbish
A 'final waste solution' for Guernsey will be announced early next year. Tonight we will review recent State's decisions on Guernsey's solid waste strategy together with the work of the People's Panel on Waste Disposal. This panel produced a report on solid waste treatment solutions before the July States debate. The panel questioned the amount of waste that needed to be processed as called for in the tender contract (45,000 tonnes rising to 70,000 tonnes over 25 years). Panel members concluded that to build a facility based on these figures would prove to be the biggest unnecessary public spending commitment every undertaken by the States of Guernsey. This evening we will examine these complex and often contradictory findings and consider some of the possible outcomes for our island.
Zero Disposal is no longer a dream
James Greyson presentation "Zero-disposal is no longer a dream!" delivered to the National Waste Summit, Dublin 26th to 27th November 2008. James Greyson runs Blindspot http://www.blindspot.org.uk/jamesg.html
Recycling of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
The States of Guernsey Public Services Department announces that from 19 January 2009 the Guernsey public will be able to bring Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) to two locations for recycling - the Longue Hougue temporary civic amenity site and the Mont Cuet bring bank site. The Public Services Department have purchased a Strautmann Cut Compact machine which can reduce EPS to 15% of its original volume. The compressed EPS will be shipped to the UK where it will be used to manufacture park benches, fencing and posts, and marina pontoons among other items.
The Substantial benefit of using Rechargeable batteries
In the last few years rechargeable consumer batteries have become more widely available. The French company Uniross has received World Wildlife Fund (WWF) endorsement for its AA and AAA nickel metal hydride batteries. Rechargeable AA and AAA batteries come in various mAh capacities. They can be charged hundreds of times at a cost of a few pence each time saving the consumer hundreds if not thousands of pounds Sterling during the life of the battery.
The Unacceptable High Cost of Incineration for Guernsey
The reduction in tipping receipts at the Mont Cuet landfill during a time of respectable economic growth shows that the previous assumption that tipping receipts increase proportionately with the level of economic activity is no longer to valid. The Guernsey public embraces recycling as a partial solution to the waste problem. At a time when there are many competing pressures on infrastructure investment, Guernsey should explore other ways to treat our solid waste to avoid the unacceptable high cost of a large incinerator.
Why a Mass Burn Incinerator is wrong for Guernsey
The costs, whether social, financial or environmental of a mass burn incinerator for Guernsey are of a scale that we can scarcely contemplate. The minimum size for a Mass Burn plant is 50,000 metric tons throughput per year, which exceeds the entire current waste output going to the Mont Cuet landfill. Success in waste reduction will render an irresponsible Mass Burn plant redundant; something that will benefit both our conscience, our pockets as well as future generations. Deputies need to consider carefully the opinions of the electorate, to explore their conscience, for what they are about to debate is of the utmost importance to Guernsey's future on many different levels.
Deputy Mike Collins questions the Public Service Department on solid waste treatment options
Deputy Mike Collins is concerned by the accuracy of the Mont Cuet landfill figures. He would like the Scrutiny committee to re-evaluate the residual waste entering the Mont Cuet landfill. He is concerned that kerbside recycling has been stopped principally for staffing reasons. He believes that commercial food residue and kerbside food waste could be stabilised and reduced in vessel composters before being placed into the Mont Cuet Landfill. He is also concerned by the discontinuation of the Waste Disposal People's Panel. He believes that the micro-incinerator proposed by the WDPP is an excellent idea.
In support of the Waste Disposal People's Panel
The Waste Disposal People's Panel is proposing a radically different approach to the treatment of the Island's waste from the approaches put forward by the Public Services Department. The WDPP's proposals, if they were to pass independent technical and financial scrutiny, would provide a solution to Guernsey's waste problem that has major advantages, both environmental and financial, over a 70,000 metric ton a year capacity mass burn incinerator, or similar facility. It would be most unfortunate if the States were not to allow consideration of a solution to our waste disposal problem based on the PDPP's approach, or similar alternatives. The potential benefits are too great to ignore.
PSD WASTE PRESENTATION
Thurs. 28th May '09. St. Sampsons High Sch. 7:00pm
Since the announcement on the 21st May '09, G-CAN has received many queries regarding the chosen tender and our initial response to it. A summary of our main points are here......
Effective Waste Strategy or Effective Waste of Money?
The Rational Alternative solution to treating Guernsey's solid waste is self-funding, cash generative and offers much greater flexibility for waste management options than Guernsey's Public Service Department's solution. Their solution is far too large for our needs because their waste assumptions are flawed and their proposal is also unaffordable.
Effective Waste Strategy or Effective Waste of Money?
The Rational Alternative solution to treating Guernsey's solid waste is self-funding, cash generative and offers much greater flexibility for waste management options than Guernsey's Public Service Department's solution. Their solution is far too large for our needs because their waste assumptions are flawed and their proposal is also unaffordable.
The Solid Waste Disposal Solution for Guernsey
This paper presents a robust and complete solution to the Guernsey solid waste disposal problem. This solution restricts use of landfill to materials which cannot reasonably be treated in any other way, eliminates unneighbourly commercial burning of timber, minimises the generation of problematic ash residues, and promotes best recycling practices. This solution is feasible at a capital cost of £19 million plus operating costs of £0.5 million per year, including the costs of all residue disposal.
The Solid Waste Disposal Solution for Guernsey
This paper presents a robust and complete solution to the Guernsey solid waste disposal problem. This solution restricts use of landfill to materials which cannot reasonably be treated in any other way, eliminates unneighbourly commercial burning of timber, minimises the generation of problematic ash residues, and promotes best recycling practices. This solution is feasible at a capital cost of £19 million plus operating costs of £0.5 million per year, including the costs of all residue disposal.