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2017.11.14
2.5 Deputy A.D. Lewis of the Minister for Infrastructure regarding commercial recycling facilities: [1(611)]
Given that in the Draft 2018 Budget Statement a capital allocation of £2.5 million is proposed for the building of a new commercial recycling centre, will the Minister advise why this service has not been outsourced and whether his department has undertaken a full assessment of what current facilities already exist in the Island?
Deputy E.J. Noel of St. Lawrence (The Minister for Infrastructure):
We have decided to locate the commercial recycling centre alongside the Energy from Waste Plant as this is the preferred location for our commercial customers. This location offers the facility for disposing of both burnable and recyclable waste onsite, saving both transport and operational costs, therefore being better for the environment and for the pocket. It will also reduce the amount of inappropriate materials such as metals entering the Energy from Waste Plant which causes expensive damage and downtime. Of course, it will also allow us to improve our recycling rates for completeness. Who operates all or part of that facility has yet to be decided.
- Deputy A.D. Lewis :
A supplementary? I just wonder if the Minister could clarify the timescales on this, because why would the Minister not wait until a commercial waste charge has come in as surely there would then be more of an incentive for commercial companies to get involved with this?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
This facility has been a desire of my department for a considerable amount of time now and it is only in recent times with the final removal of the asbestos containers that has freed-up the site to provide this much-needed facility.
- The Connétable of St. Helier :
The Minister did not answer the last question, so I will rephrase it. Given the ability of the commercial sector to provide recycling facilities of this sort, and indeed the Parish of St. Helier already does provide it certainly for St. Helier , why would the States wish to spend £2.5 million on creating something which the private sector is capable and willing to do?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
I did answer that question in terms of that it needs to be in the right location. This is about diverting the current waste stream that goes into the Energy from Waste Plant, taking out those recyclables and those that can be reused from that stream. We do go out to commercial operators for some of the waste hierarchy in terms of paper, carbon and plastic and that is out for tender. We did invite the Parish to tender for that work, but the Parish did not submit one.
- Deputy A.D. Lewis :
Could the Minister state what level of subsidy is currently being paid to the recycling partner that you have had for some time over the past 5 years, either now, if he has the figures, or later on in the sitting? But also, does he believe that there is currently a level playing field, in other words, the Parish currently does not receive any subsidy but the current partner you have does? Does he believe that it is right that there is not a level playing field on that matter?
Deputy E.J. Noel:
Waste recycling and disposal of our waste does cost money. The subsidy or not, as the case may be, depends on the market price of the recyclables that go into the stream, so it depends on the wholesale price of cardboard, et cetera, and of the plastics. As I already alluded, we put this out to tender, it goes through the normal States procurement policies, and we invited the Parish to tender for that business and they declined to do so.