Anti-incineration experts rallied to support Guernsey to reject plans for a waste incinerator on the island.
Following the emergence of an anti-incineration campaign for Guernsey (supported by UKWIN), and recent presentations to deputies, key business leaders and the public by Alan Watson, Director of Public Interest Consultants (PIC), and by Dr Paul Connett, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at St Lawrence University, Guernsey has decided against building an incinerator at Longue Hougue.
Images from protest against Suez / SITA Guernsey Energy from Waste incinerator
The Guernsey campaigners earned the praise of the experts, with Dr Connett saying:
A classic case of great teamwork and great timing. The local group was very well organized with a number of very well informed (and lovely) people. My few days there were a delight – and the outcome was most exciting.
and with Alan Watson adding:
This was a great campaign and the island is now set for a zero waste strategy.
The island’s media are reporting that:
Guernsey’s States have voted overwhelmingly to scrap plans for a multi-million pound waste-to-energy plant at Longue Hougue. The decision follows a much closer earlier vote which amended a requete from Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher. That gave deputies the opportunity to throw out the Suez proposals… Members of the Environment Department did not take part in the votes because of a potential conflict of interest.
The short article also notes that the States have also decided to look into exporting Guernsey’s rubbish to Jersey.
And according to The Guernsey Press Jersey has agreed to accept Guernsey’s waste for a decade to come.
Senator Alan Maclean, minister for Economic Development, and reiterates a letter sent to Public Services in 2009 stating that Jersey could take 30,000 tonnes of Guernsey’s waste for 10 years.
A 2-minute interview with two local anti-incineration campaigners is available from http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_guernseynews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=485422 and a longer article about Guernsey’s abandonment of incinerator plans has been produced by the BBC.
1Shlomo on Feb 27, 2010 at 6:10 pm:
More from the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/8540546.stm
The article includes the following:
There had been some opposition to the Suez plant ahead of the debate, but after the decision a campaign and petition against the incinerator began to gather more support.
Rodney Brouard, who was behind the petition, put forward an alternative solution, which involved using high pressure steam to deal with waste and would cost £20m to set up.
It was the first of several alternatives pushed forward, which included continuing to place landfill in quarries, using gasification technology to turn waste into gas, and exporting waste to Jersey.
In response to mounting pressure by campaigners deputies, led by Deputy Jan Kuttelwascher, called for another debate on the matter before the final contract with Suez was signed.
In the debate, held in the February States meeting, a move put forward by Deputy Mary Lowe to scrap the proposals and start from scratch again were supported.
The Public Services Department, which was behind both the Lurgi UK and Suez Environment plans, was charged by the States to set out another waste strategy.
A new strategy must be put in place before the Mont Cuet landfill reaches capacity.
In November an estimate of 2012 was changed to 2019 after new figures showed that due to the increased recycling of household waste, up to 33% in 2009, the lifespan of the tip would be increased by seven years.
2Rob Whittle, NAIL2 on Feb 28, 2010 at 12:35 am:
Guernsey deputies were wise in their rejection of incinerator as EfW techology when more can be done on minimisation, recycling and composting, a proper island food waste collection to small scale digestion module and longer term considered vantage or small scale plasma units for CHP/10% tricky waste.
Guernsey must not bury their heads in the sand by either continued landfilling or unsustainablity palming its residual pile to Jersey, exporting out of proximity to Jersey’s uncapacity/unsustainable incineration solution.
3Ralph Ryder on Feb 28, 2010 at 9:23 am:
the plan was defeated by 21 votes to 20, so people should still be careful as industry will no doubt still see an opening at some time, if not in the near future. We have all see the repeated attacks at Hull and Belvedere and a lesson must be learnt from this.
the thing now is to work hard on pushing Zero Waste as there is now a gap into which we / the people of Gurnesy can push this.
4J Parnwell on Mar 10, 2010 at 12:20 pm:
There is to be another debate and vote at the States of Guernsey Meeting at the end of March. A Deputy in favour of the Suez incinerator wasn’t satisfied with the narrow vote and has brought the matter forward once more!
5Stu on Mar 11, 2010 at 7:49 pm:
Visit Green Peace Web Site and see the Facts against Incinerators.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/incineration/the-problem
6Shlomo on Mar 12, 2010 at 12:12 pm:
Professor Paul Connett’s presentation to a Guernsey audience on Zero Waste is on YouTube.
There will be 11 segments to this presentation including the questions and answers session.
The first video is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-dhQnRs7Lg (including the introduction by Graham Basham of the Guernsey Commerce Chamber of Commerce Energy and Waste Sub-Committee)
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqhkXdZHS0I
Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9UbKsQSaTk
More ‘Guernsey Zero Waste’ videos will become available in the next few hours as YouTube posts them.
Please search for “Guernsey Zero Waste Presentation” under Guernsey issues.
Thanks to Jamie Lewis of Western Sounds http://www.westernsounds.co.uk for doing a splendid job with the video.
7Shlomo on Mar 25, 2010 at 8:08 pm:
Victory in Guernsey –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/8586066.stm
Leading to a politician resigning –
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/guernsey/8586682.stm
The States of Deliberation in Guernsey voted against the Spruce Requete and the incinerator by 27 to 16.
Deputy Scott Ogier, who is head of Guernsey’s Waste Disposal Authority, will now go back to the States to ask Deputies for their opinion for a new waste management strategy.
Guernsey has said NO to incineration.
See photos:
http://www.sealordphotography.net/Environment/Public-Concerns-and-causes/Suez-energy-from-waste/11408414_MjMkR#818449142_cwbTM