New System Halves Household Waste in Guernsey

Since a ‘pay-as-you-throw’ scheme was introduced in Guernsey, the amount of household waste has more than halved. The system, which first came fully into effect a year ago, has seen recycling increase by about 500 tonnes compared to the first six months in 2018.

 In the first six months of 2018 over 5,100 tonnes of black bag waste was collected, more than double the amount compared to the same period this year. Since the introduction of kerbside collections, about 15% more glass has also been recycled.

Sarah Robinson, operations manager for Guernsey Waste, said monitoring recycling and waste habits showed a “large shift in behaviour, with lots more using the recycling collections”. We hope that these continued improvements highlight the importance of waste management and how a simple shift in mentality can offer great rewards both economically and environmental. Contact us for more information about how we can help reduce the costs of waste.

The scheme dictates that households have to include paid-for stickers on each sack of general rubbish put out for collection; not including a £1.40 or £2.50 sticker (depending on the size) on a black bag of non-recyclable rubbish will result in a fine of £60.

Since December 2018 Guernsey began exporting its general waste, compressed in bales, to be burnt and converted to energy in Sweden. This highlights that even where waste can’t be avoided, reused or recycled, we can often do so much more than just leaving it in a landfill site.

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At ethical partnership we are focused on the environment and the improvements to waste management that has been displayed in the Guernsey schemes is fantastic! We hope that more councils around the United Kingdom can look into the benefits that recycling-focused schemes can offer. Contact us for more information about how we can reduce the cost of waste and better the environment for it. As always, you can follow us on social media via our LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the work that we do. 

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