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Jersey may soon be able to recycle 100% of its inert waste – such as building rubble, concrete and soil – once the Government signs a new contract with a disposal specialist, which is expected by the end of this year.
If the solution proposed by the as-yet-undisclosed private-sector firm is realised, all inert waste dumped at La Collette will be reused as aggregate and other materials.
The news was revealed in a recent written question asked of Infrastructure Minister Andy Jéhan.
He said that the Infrastructure and Environment Department has recently selected an operator to run the inert waste management site, who aims to recycle all waste received.
The contract for this solution will be in place by December.
Pictured: Hazardous waste is mostly dumped in lined pits to the east of the reclamation site, which now forms a manmade headland.
The Minister also revealed that the inert waste reception area at La Collette would otherwise be full by next June, based on the rate of dumping over the last year.
However, the Government has the option to temporarily stockpile inert waste, which would extend the life of the reclaimed area by another 23 months.
How Jersey disposes of its inert and hazardous waste has been a topic of much debate since a Planning Committee decision brought matters to a head in March last year.
Then, the group of politicians who decide on significant and/or more controversial planning applications deferred their decision on a submission by I&E to increase the size of mounds of waste at La Collette by six months.
The Government then faced the prospect of having to shut the gates of its waste management site, potentially bringing the construction industry to a grinding halt.
The deadlock was broken by a States debate, which approved the Government’s updated plans, and a further revised planning application.
Concerning the more controversial topic of hazardous waste, which is mostly dumped in lined pits to the east of the reclamation site, which now forms a manmade headland, there is capacity for another decade of dumping.
This is based on additional capacity achieved by increasing the height of the ‘eastern headland’ by 4.5m, to 21.5m above the top of the rocky perimeter wall.
Once extended, this mound will be approximately 415m long with a maximum width of 205m. The Government also plans to build a public path around the perimeter of the reclamation site.
I&E has pledged to explore the possibility of exporting more hazardous waste, which includes asbestos and contaminated soil, and designating other areas of La Collette, or further afield, as suitable sites.
It also wants to minimise the amount of contaminated soil arriving at La Collette by working with Building Regulation officers to set higher design and remediation standards.
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