Friday 22 November 2013
Household waste continued to fall in the 12 months to September 2013, showing a reduction of nearly 2% compared to last year.
A backlog of green waste dropped off at Chouet or Le Friquet during the third quarter of the year, but still to be weighed before processing, contributed to the reduction. However the underlying trend continues to be downward, with household waste excluding any garden material down 1.3% since 2012.
The green waste backlog also resulted in a slight fall in the overall household recycling rate, to 45.9% compared to 46.8% last year. The proportion recycled through the bring banks and Longue Hougue rose, however, from 31.1% to 31.6%.
Since 2010, total household waste has fallen by 4%, and nearly 4.5% excluding green waste.
Public Services Minister Deputy Paul Luxon said the reduction in waste was very significant. The Department was committed to continuing this trend, as well as increasing the recycling rate.
"For years, the amount of waste the island produced was steadily rising. However we have seen that trend cease, and it is actually now starting to fall. Greater awareness of the amount of waste we all produce, and a genuine desire by islanders to see that reduce, has contributed to this welcome trend.
We have also made great strides as far as recycling is concerned, and islanders can be really proud that we have reached 46%. If we can encourage and help households to recycle just a little bit more, then we can push that to 50%."
Public Services this month launched a 'One More Thing' campaign, which aims to help islanders to increase recycling. It has calculated that if every household recycled the equivalent of a newspaper and a glass bottle extra per week, the island could reach its 50% target.
The Department also announced this week that from next March, every household will be provided with weekly recycling collections.
-ENDS-
