Budget Statement 2010 (P.179/2009): comments.

STATES OF JERSEY

BUDGET STATEMENT 2010 (P.179/2009): COMMENTS

Presented to the States on 8th December 2009

by the Minister for Transport and Technical Services

STATES GREFFE

2009   Price code: A  P.179 Com.(3)

COMMENTS

General comments

Transport and Technical Services has tried to secure the necessary ongoing funding for recycling and transport initiatives for over 3 years. The lack of funding has greatly inhibited the Island's ability to increase recycling and make transport improvements. Funding is crucially required to enable TTS to fulfil the commitments made by the States in the latest Strategic Plan.

Priority 13 of the current Strategic Plan includes commitments stating that we will –

• Implement a range of measures to reduce waste, energy use, pollution and traffic
• Develop a sustainable internal transport infrastructure
• Persuade  people  out  of  cars  by  providing  practical  alternatives  such  as improved bus services, cycle tacks and footpaths
• In  2009  debate  and  implement  a  Sustainable  Transport  Policy  for  Jersey including targets, policies and timescales that reflect best practice globally and proposals for monitoring and publishing them.

The key indicators include –

• Traffic congestion
• Waste produced/recycling rates.

None of this can happen without additional funding. Environmental Taxes to fund environmental issues is wholly appropriate. The link is critical regardless of how the tax is levied – by taxing the use of vehicles in some way, the funds can be used to reduce the need to burn waste as well as providing infrastructure and initiatives to provide viable sustainable alternatives to car use.

Recycling

Since the approval of the Solid Waste Strategy in 2005, significant progress has been made in developing recycling and more sustainable approaches to managing waste.

• Almost  one  third  of  the  Island's  non-inert  waste  is  now  recycled  or composted.
• A number of successful recycling schemes for hazardous waste streams, such as  batteries  and  waste  electrical  equipment,  have  been  planned  and implemented.
• Public awareness to waste prevention and recycling has been improved, as measured by the JASS.

Many of the objectives set in the strategy have been met and the recycling growth kept on track until this year. The easier wins have been achieved and much public support gained, but the next steps require more capital investment and improved revenue funding. Experience has shown that more recycling is possible but the Island setting means that this comes at a cost.

TTS have diverted funds to expand recycling where possible, but a combination of growing public support for the services and a significant and sustained weakening of the market for recyclables in 2009 has led to a serious funding shortfall for 2010 and beyond.

The extra £500K provided as a one-off in 2009 has allowed the key recycling schemes to continue, but without ongoing funding from 2010, TTS will have to operate to the original budget which will mean unavoidable cuts to services.

Modifying the services to cut costs will require tough decisions. Most of the following actions will need to be seriously considered –

• Withdraw 50% of the recycling bin sites (14 to 7).
• Cap paper and cardboard recycling (incinerate from mid-2010).
• TTS  could  not  recycle  materials  from  planned  new  Parish  kerbside collections.
• Close the public green waste facility or greatly reduce opening hours.
• Suspend the majority of current awareness raising activities.
• Cease subsidised home composting initiative.

Alternatively the savings could have been met by withdrawing TV and other Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling, but an amendment to the recent Business Plan debate has meant that this is no longer an option and this places the focus for cuts on the above schemes.

In  contrast,  however,  if  Environmental  Taxes  are  approved,  the  following  is achievable –

• All current services maintained, including the disposal costs for the expansion of the parish kerbside collection scheme.
• WEEE recycling improved and expanded.
• Fridge recycling introduced.
• End-of-life vehicle recycling introduced.
• Bring banks sites would be expanded (in subsequent years).
• New education and awareness projects implemented.

As well as the tangible impacts on services, the withdrawal of schemes popular with the public will undo significant investment in generating support and goodwill over recent years. Diverting recycling back to incineration may well result in operational problems for the currently overloaded EfW, and extra costs from the logistics of

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P.179/2009 Com.(3)

stockpiling  waste  and  clearing  inevitable  fly-tipped  waste  where  facilities  are removed.

Transport

On the sustainable transport side, if there is no funding available from Environmental taxes –

• The bus service – scheduled and schools – cannot be enhanced to provide additional commuter services, better evening and Sunday services, provide more capacity for schoolchildren and better access to town facilities.
• There  will  be  no  improvement  to  public  transport  infrastructure,  such  as providing real time information, smart card ticketing or bus shelters.
• There can be no further pedestrian improvements or safer routes to schools schemes.
• There will be no further funding (beyond the £500,000 approved for 2010) to provide for an Eastern Cycle Track.
• There will be no awareness campaigns, no incentivisation schemes or grants to help people change to more environmentally-friendly travel modes.

The Green Paper on Sustainable Transport Policy has been well received, and initial results from the public consultation show that the public are willing to change their travel modes if alternatives are available. This cannot happen without funding and Environmental Taxes, on a polluter pays basis, can provide alternatives and start changing the way we travel in this Island.