States Works assurances over dumping mixed waste

STATES Works has denied responsibility for a mixed load of black bag waste and blue bag recycling that was dumped at Mont Cuet.

Refuse contractor Clint Blondel took this picture of black sacks and recycling bags dumped together at Mont Cuet. His claim that the bags were put there by States Works has been denied by Guernsey Waste, which said it had received assurances that was not the case.

Private refuse contractor Clint Blondel sent the Guernsey Press a picture alleging that it had been tipped by States-owned entity.

The picture was taken on 10 October, between 5 and 7am.

‘It is only States Works that collects black bag and blue bags in the same week for St Sampson’s and St Peter Port,’ said Mr Blondel. ‘The rest of us collect blue bags and glass that week.’

Guernsey Waste operations manager Sarah Robinson said she had received assurances from States Works that it had not collected a mixed load.

‘Unfortunately, the first this was reported to us was more than a week after the photograph was reportedly taken, via the Guernsey Press,’ she said.

‘Had we been contacted sooner, and provided with further information and evidence such as timings, it may have been possible to identify the source.

‘We have checked the gate house data for the times when the photograph was reportedly taken.

‘There was a delivery by States Works, which contained household waste, but they have given us an assurance they would not have collected a mixed load.

‘They have separate vehicles and crews picking up each waste stream, so recycling should not be mixed in together with black bags.

‘Without being able to inspect the load, or confirm when the photo was taken, we cannot rule out that this was brought in by another contractor.’

She said the waste transfer station at Longue Hougue will have CCTV which will make it easier to investigate any such incidents.