Waste solution is us

So, some much needed facts. Last year, around 33,000 tonnes of waste were disposed of at Mont Cuet. That is the combined total from households and businesses. It included 1,600 tonnes of noxious weeds – most likely a one-off – without which it would have been the lowest annual total since the landfill site opened in 1998. Down more than 10% in five years, and less than half the 2001 total.

More good news – since kerbside recycling was introduced, the household fraction going to Mont Cuet has fallen further. Nearly 10% down on the same period last year.

That is the reality of the island's waste. It's going down, and the strategy the States has chosen reflects that. We are not investing enormous sums in treatment facilities that are poorly equipped to deal with declining tonnage of waste, and would soon be too big for our needs. Instead, we have chosen a flexible, future-proof option, focused on minimising waste and, for now, using a readily available market to export what little we cannot prevent, reuse or recycle.

Is this sustainable long-term? There are two certainties with waste. One, we will always produce some. Two, we have to deal with it. Other than that, nothing is 100% sure, but our detailed market investigations do not back up Nick's suggestion that our export options may be limited.

Movement of waste between jurisdictions throughout Europe is expressly permitted, and it is a growing trend as plant operators respond to falling levels of waste. The UK seeking to establish a clearer definition of the treatment waste undergoes before export is not a sudden shift in philosophy.

It more likely reflects concern that the UK's own waste facilities face increasing competition from Europe. What the UK decides to do though is no barrier to us - unless we choose to export there – and in any event we are likely to satisfy requirements that realistically could be set.

Of course there are risks, but there are risks with any option. None bigger or more ruinously expensive than building a plant now that is too large for the island's long-term needs.

We nearly made that mistake twice before, and would be foolish to go that way again now.

The suggestion we must keep waste here to generate lots of electricity does not really stack up. Burning rubbish is not a particularly efficient process, so a small facility to deal with our current volumes of waste would only ever make a tiny contribution to the island's electricity, if any. If we really want to maximise the energy potential, we are better contracting with a larger plant already producing surplus electricity, and also able to make use of the heat produced. The benefit they get from that will be reflected in the price we pay them.

Yes, waste is a resource, and we are treating it as such by focussing on minimisation and recycling, and maximising the benefit from whatever is left over.

In future, we may build an on-island treatment plant. It could be a traditional energy from waste facility, or maybe another technology that becomes established in the meantime. It will be small scale, because by then we will have driven down our waste sufficiently that we never again need to contemplate the sort of over-sized, costly solution put forward in the past.

Other infrastructure will be in place, in the facilities that we are looking to build now. It is only the transfer station, to prepare waste for export, that would need to change.

That is only a fraction of the investment we are planning to make, and much of the processing carried out in this facility could probably still be put to use preparing the waste for use as fuel.

Unfortunately, whatever we do is going to cost more. Not because we are pursuing expensive solutions, but because we can no longer simply rely on burying our rubbish which, until now, has been ridiculously cheap.

Even continuing with landfill – and Les Vardes Quarry is frequently mentioned – would cost a lot more than it does now, ignoring the enormous blight it would cause. It's simply not a sustainable or responsible option for us though.

However anyone suggesting we have no idea how much the waste strategy will cost is nonsense.

We have been very open and honest that we do not yet have the final costs, because we are in the procurement stage. However we have done a lot of detailed work, and compared all our estimates to industry benchmarks, and have a very good picture of the investment required in both the required infrastructure and export.

We haven't chosen a destination to export to yet, but not because of indecision or a lack of options.

We have a very good indication of what that will cost, and we believe prices will fall between now and when we start. Good news. We don't need to do a deal yet, but demand is there and we continue to monitor the market.

Falling tonnages, more islanders recycling than ever before – there is so much to be positive about the direction the island is heading in.

So please, enough carping and doom-mongering.

There are already achievements we can be proud of, and if we work together as a community, we can make this work to all of our benefit.

There is no magic solution waiting in the wings that will solve these issues for us.

63,000 of us produce this waste, and it is up to us to deal with it.

The solution is us, and we can make that work.

DEPUTY PAUL LUXON,

Minister,

Public Services Department.