08 August 2006
2005 was the best year yet for recycling in Jersey . A combination of new initiatives and improved promotion of existing schemes seems to be helping get more of our waste recycled.
“The figures are very encouraging. It is only with public support that we will reach our targets and this is a really good start. It’s great to see that more Islanders are beginning to make recycling part of their everyday routine.” said Transport and Technical Services Minister Guy de Faye .
The most significant increases were seen in the collection and recycling of paper and cardboard which increased to nearly 4,000 tonnes, nearly twice as much as the previous year.
The newspaper and magazine banks have now been operating for a full year and have proved extremely popular. So much so, that some sites require emptying three times each week. Recycling schemes for other materials are also growing with more aluminium drinks cans and green waste being recycled, than ever before.
The Salvation Army’s clothing banks did extremely well in 2005 with 327 tonnes of clothes being collected. This figure means that we have now overtaken Guernsey and the collection point at Rue des Pres was the most successful in the whole of the UK .
“The key to making these schemes work is convenience to users and good information.” explained Recycling Officer, John Rive . “I have been delighted with the success of the newspaper scheme and we are planning to provide more facilities and to offer collections for a wider range of materials in 2006.”
2005 has also seen the development, by Transport and Technical Services, of new products made from recycled material such as Soil Improver, Mulch and the latest addition, animal bedding made from waste wood. Nearly 10,000 tonnes of compost products were either sold through garden centres or applied to agricultural land.
“ This is a particular success story as recycling in Jersey is generally expensive as the value of the materials is low and transport costs high for things that have to be exported.” said Mr Rive. “Turning our garden waste into a saleable product locally that can be returned to the Island ’s soils, is a great solution.”
Composting at home is also on the increase with 1,450 home composting kits sold through the States’ scheme. Any material composted at home avoids the need for transportation and further processing of a proportion of kitchen and garden waste.
Jersey ’s recycling rate increased to 24% in 2005 which compares well to the UK ’s 23%, but there is plenty of work to do with our targets currently set at 32% by the end of 2009.
The Transport and Technical Services Department will be announcing their plans for facilities and initiatives for 2006, later in the week.
04 and 05 recycling summaries.pdf
gov.je