St Peter Port’s douzaine fears unclean streets
A WARNING that the streets of St Peter Port will not be as clean once the new waste strategy is implemented has been issued by the douzaine.
The constables have written to the St Peter Port deputies outlining concerns ahead of the debate next week on how to pay for the infrastructure and how to structure charges.
‘Our main concerns centre around the greatly increased costs to come for our ratepayers and the likelihood of increased levels of fly-tipping and general non-compliance,’ said constables Dennis Le Moignan and Jenny Tasker in the letter.
Islanders face paying flat fees and per sack once the changes come in, but the exact charges will not be known until the States decides whether to pay for the infrastructure using the bond money or cash in the capital reserve.
The constables said they are concerned that, for many of the lower paid, pensioners and those on a fixed income, the cost of waste disposal will be unaffordable.
‘While those receiving social security benefits will have assistance in meeting these costs, many others will struggle with the estimated £7 a week.’
They warned that the black sack sticker cost will have a major effect on the level of fly-tipping across the island.
‘It is our view that if the sticker price is pitched at £4.80 there will be resistance from the public and we will find unpaid black sacks either left on the roads and pavements or dumped in the coastal bins,’ they said. ‘Many parishes have indicated that they wish to delegate non-compliance and “policing” to the WDA [Waste Disposal Authority], though only for the initial period of two years. We feel that this responsibility should be delegated indefinitely to the WDA unless rescinded by the individual parish.’
They listed problems that will face St Peter Port waste collection, such as the lack of storage space, multi-occupancy dwellings and unsuitable bins at current housing complexes.
‘While we accept that solutions for some problems will evolve, we do expect that our streets will not be kept as clean as before. St Peter Port is a tourist hub and we cannot have a situation where waste is uncollected even for 24 hours as, especially in the summer months, this waste will be spread all over the road by gulls and vermin.’
