Guernsey Recycling Rates Forecast One Of Highest In Europe

Guernsey Waste says its forecast of up to 65% recycling would give the island one of the highest household recycling rates in Europe, according to Guernsey Press.

The rise has been attributed largely to new weekly food collections and the switch to fortnightly general waste collections.

Since December (2-18), separately-collected food waste has been pre-processed at the new transfer station at Longue Hougue, before being loaded into tankers and sent to a plant in Wiltshire, where it is used to generate electricity and create compost.

The shift to fortnightly collections for general waste has also resulted in an increase in kerbside recycling, Guernsey Waste says. 

The forecast of up to 65% is based on tonnages recorded over 12 months to the end of March 2018, and adjusted to account for the new collection and processing arrangements. 

Based on provisional data for the first quarter of 2019, it is estimated that the new system has resulted in 50 tonnes per week of food waste being processed, five to 10 tonnes per week of kerbside dry recycling being collected and an additional reduction in residual waste of 10%.

This compares to a provisional rate of 50% for the 12 months to the end of March 2018.

Tonnages for the blue and clear recycling bags in the first two months of January and February were up by more than 30% compared to 2018. 

These increases have been framed against an overall 10% reduction in residual waste. 

Items taken to the Longue Hougue recycling facility or for green waste processing have also had a significant bearing on recycling rates, Guernsey Waste says. 


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