Tuesday 23 August 2022
Households will be able dispose of products containing the weedkiller glyphosate free of charge when a ban on non-professional use comes into force.
However, Guernsey Waste is urging islanders not to make a special trip to the Household Waste & Recycling and Centre. Instead, they are asked to bring it along when they have other items to drop off for recycling or disposal between now and the end of the year.
It follows the announcement by the Health & Safety Executive that products containing glyphosate will be restricted to certified professionals only from next year. Retailers will no longer be able to sell these products to the public from the end of October.
Guernsey Waste Operations Manager, Sarah Robinson: "Given the attention that the forthcoming ban has received, islanders are probably wondering how to safely dispose of any glyphosate products they currently have. The good news is that we will accept weedkillers and pesticides at the Household Waste & Recycling Centre, free of charge. They can then be disposed of appropriately."
"However, we have limited storage capacity, so we want to avoid being inundated suddenly. For that reason, we would ask islanders not to make a special trip to drop off these products. We would much rather they bring them along when they are dropping off other waste or recycling between now and the end of the year. That will help us manage the disposal, but also prevent unnecessary car journeys which could cause delays in accessing the site."
Opening hours of the Household Waste & Recycling Centre can be found at gov.gg/hwrc.
Anyone with a large quantity of glyphosate products or chemicals in an unlabelled container should contact the Hazardous Waste Technical Officer at hazardouswaste@gov.gg or on 01481 226263 to arrange collection.
Businesses with glyphosate or other chemicals to dispose of should also contact the Hazardous Waste Technical Officer.
