Waste Glass Recycling contract and the application of decontamination fee by the Contractor

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A decision made on 19 November 2021

Decision Reference: MD-T-2021-0072
Decision Summary Title:	Waste Glass Recycling contract and the application of decontamination fee by the Contractor		Date of Decision Summary:	15 November 2021
Decision Summary Author:	Assistant Director Solid Waste		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt?	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	N/A
Written Report Title:	Waste Glass Recycling contract and the application of decontamination fee by the Contractor		Date of Written Report:	15 November 2021
Written Report Author:	Head of Solid Waste and Recovery		Written Report: Public or Exempt?	Public
Subject: The initiation of a Glass Recycling Contract and the introduction of a Glass Decontamination Charge to assist in meeting Waste Acceptance Criteria for the sustainable recycling of glass in Jersey
Decision(s): The Minister for Infrastructure authorised the implementation decontamination charges for contaminated glass which does not meet the Glass Waste Acceptance Criteria and that these charges may be applied directly by the glass recycling contractor.
Reason(s) for Decision: To enable a successful glass recycling contract and to pass the decontamination costs for glass that does not meet the waste acceptance criteria to the producer of that contamination
Resource Implications: Clean glass disposal will continue to be accessible to the public. Charges for contaminated glass will be dependent on the type and severity of the contamination against the Glass Waste Acceptance Criteria.
Action required: IHE Head of Solid Waste and Recovery to finalise the terms of the glass contract framework and agree decontamination cost recovery mechanism.
Signature:		Position: Deputy Kevin Lewis
Date Signed:		Date of Decision:

Waste Glass Recycling contract and the application of decontamination fee by the Contractor

INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT

Waste Glass Recycling contract and the application of

decontamination fee by the Contractor

Purpose of Report

To inform the Minister of the Waste Glass Contract and to seek the Minister’s approval of the principle of a decontamination charge which is to be levied by the Waste Glass Contractor on contaminated glass deliveries.

Background

On average 6,000 tonnes of waste glass is generated each year in Jersey. The receiving and processing of waste glass has historically been undertaken by a local contractor as part of the Aggregates Contract at La Collette which commenced in August 2014.

Glass services were outlined as:

• The Contractor receives, crushes and stockpiles glass.

• A full-time member of staff receives and inspects incoming glass.

Waste glass was crushed and utilised as a drainage medium for the containment lining of the outer sea wall of the Inert Waste Reclamation Lagoon. Lining is now complete, and the Aggregates Contract expired in July 2021 so IHE Solid Waste must identify an alternate outlet for glass waste.

Trials were initiated with a local aggregates manufacturer to test the production and sale of recycled glass products. These trials demonstrated that glass can be incorporated into multiple construction industry products:

• Glass Cullet (secondary aggregates, non-structural concrete products, drainage material)

• Glass Dust (sand style product, not a direct replacement for construction sand)

In 2020 the Department removed the management of glass from the Aggregates Contract to enable competitive tender for the recycling of glass, with preference given to on island reuse over export. A procurement process to set up a more suitable contract for the management of glass was undertaken and the new contract scope aims to resolve issues identified during the trials.

The main issues identified during the trials were:-

• Immature island market unable to accommodate volume generated for complete reuse on island.

• Existing stockpiles of material too large to feed into current reuse market.

• La Collette Reclamation Site no longer has sufficient space to accommodate large scale stockpiling of processed product until market allows for total on-island reuse.

• Contamination is a major issue to recycling, on and off island.

To overcome the stockpiled glass volume issue the contract states that the existing stockpiles of glass must be recycled on island first. In order to prevent a market saturation or increasing stockpiles, new glass delivered to the site is to be exported for a period of approximately two years.

Glass that is to be exported must be clean and free from contamination thus it is necessary to have an inspection and decontamination service available for glass deliveries.

In July 2021 the Glass Business Case funding request was rejected in favour of storage of glass on the La Collette site until other financial mechanisms are available. It is suspected that the business case did not clearly identify that further significant storage is not possible.

The cost of glass reception processing and export can be estimated however the cost of decontamination is open ended thus it is recommended that a decontamination charge be applied to glass delivered that does not meet the glass Waste Acceptance Criteria.

It is also recommended that this decontamination charge be applied directly to the customer by the glass recycling contractor.

Clean uncontaminated glass will continue to be accepted free of charge to the customer and customers will also have the option to undertake their own decontamination before delivering glass to site.

Recommendation

The Minister is recommended to authorise the implementation decontamination charges for contaminated glass which does not meet the Glass Waste Acceptance Criteria and that these charges may be applied directly by the glass recycling contractor.

Reason for Decision

To enable a successful glass recycling contract and to pass the decontamination costs for glass that does not meet the waste acceptance criteria to the producer of that contamination.

Resource Implications

Clean glass disposal will continue to be accessible to the public. Charges for contaminated glass will be dependent on the type and severity of the contamination against the Glass Waste Acceptance Criteria.

6. Action Required

Head of Service IHE – Solid Waste to finalise the terms of the glass contract framework and agree decontamination cost recovery mechanism.

Written by:	Engineer, Solid Waste
Approved by:	Head of Solid Waste and Recovery